Wilderness
by Inconcessus
Summary: Bella has always felt disconnected from her Phoenix friends. The only time she feels comfortable in her own skin is on her yearly camping trip in the Washington Cascades with her dad, until they are joined by Charlie's new girlfriend and her son and nephew, Jasper and Edward. A story of survival, stranded in the mountains only with two boys she barely knows to keep her alive.
1. Coming Home

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all its recognizable characters - I own the plot alone.**

**This _will _be earning its M Rating.**

**Pairings: Bella/Edward and Bella/Jasper. No slash and no cousin on cousin action whatsoever.**

I stepped off the plane at SeaTac and straight into the arms of my dad. Breathing in the scent and feel of flannel and peppermint gum, I allowed myself to truly _breathe _for the first time in a year.

Every Summer I went to stay with my dad in Washington. As had been tradition ever since I could remember, dad would load up his jeep with camping and fishing gear and would pick me up from Seattle airport, ready for a month spent in the Washington Cascades - on a branch of the Skykomish River called Goblin Creek.

Dad fished all day while I swam in the creek that bordered our self-made camp site and climbed as many trees as I could get my hands on. I waited on bated breath for every Summer I got to spend up in the mountains, and this year was no different, bar one thing. Dad had a girlfriend, and she was coming with us. Now I had no problem with my dad dating, I had encouraged it at times. But there was just no way I could see one of the older women in Forks even managing to cope with living without showers or toilets for a full month, and the prospect of one of these women ruining my summer by demanding amenities or just not fully _appreciating _our time in the Cascades had my hands shaking and anger boiling through my body. Dad had assured me that she was well equipped to handle the trip, and I had no reason to doubt him.

Another point of contempt was that dad's girlfriend Alyson was bringing her son and nephew along for the ride. One was my age and the other was a few years older from what I could remember. Dad threw my carry on backpack over his shoulder and I slung my messenger bag over mine as we made our way through the airport to the parking lot - chattering about inane work and school stories from our year apart. We broke free into the humid heat of Seattle and were immediately accosted by a medium-height woman with piercing blue eyes and a kind smile. This must be the girlfriend. Dad made his way through the basic introductions and I barely spotted two heads of copper and blond hair over her shoulder before Alyson enveloped me in a warm hug, sunshine and strawberries dominant in her clean smell. She drawled a quiet greeting into my ear and drew her arms back to her sides, fixing me with a blinding smile. Biggest shock of the summer so far? I already liked my dad's girlfriend. I wasn't so sure about her son and nephew, however.

I'd always gotten on well enough with people my age but there had always been that disconnect - I was always a little less put together, a little too happy to be on my own, just a little bit wilder, more organic than my classmates. I was roiling rapids and mossy trees, and they were the hard packed desert of Arizona and just so _put together _that I was always kept at arms length lest I rot their carefully constructed gardens. I was the forest and they were the desert. It was simple but no less hurtful. I was seen as the messy and unrestrained girl whose dark hair and darker eyes were the antithesis of what Phoenix High stood for. The girls in my year had treated me with utter disdain until their male counterparts had gotten it into their head that it would be _totally rad _to bang the Washington girl - twig thin and dirty featured, and as one boy had described me "_an exotic fuck - so fuckin' wild in the sack I bet_" - which was when I started receiving invitations to almost every drunken bash that ever happened. I capitalized on the attention, exploring my way through most of the boys in my year in an attempt to find somewhere that I actually fit - that one last defining moment that would cement me in Phoenix forever. It never happened. I still longed for my home state and they still kept me at a distance when it suited them.

Phoenix girls are bleached and bubble gum pink, and my long tangled hair had been in the hands of too many boys who wanted to have the bragging right of deflowering the one aspect of Phoenix High that didn't quite fit. Despite their efforts, I'd retained that one last defense against being completely sucked into the blinding light of my city. I was a virgin, and had made it my life goal to never give it up to someone who thought they could own me. I wanted to be wild and uncontrolled - and once I was free of Arizona , I would be.

Like millions of other teenage girls, I was desperate to be free of my town. We weren't special or unique - we just wanted something that we perceived as better and chose to believe that made us superior. I wasn't better, I wasn't _broken_ - I was just an immature girl who thought she was better than what she had, and tried to prove it. That was what I always liked about my Washington summers, they grounded me beyond belief and reminded me that I wasn't fucking special - I just thought I was.

"Bella, these are my two boys - Jasper and Edward. Jasper is my son and young Edward is his cousin," Alyson's voice spurred me into action and I raised my head high to meet the two boys who I would be spending the summer with. Understatement of the Summer so far? The word _boys_.

These were not boys at all. They were smoking steaming heat, threatening to burn my cheeks and take the voice from my throat. I drew in a breath to calm my nerves and settle my stomach and focused on the less threatening of the two, the young teenager who would be none other than Edward.

Now Edward - I could see myself actually getting along with at some point this summer. He was tall, understated boyish beauty and thin wiry muscles topped with a messy pile of copper toned hair that must have been packet dye, because there was no way anyone actually had that color hair naturally. It was pulled back high from his head, standing up at crazy angles and barely moving in the light breeze, looking freshly tugged and ruffled. Unless he was in the business of airport quickies with his cousin, it was likely the product of careful styling by his own hand. Khakis and a baggy navy tee - I looked forward to seeing him try and keep up his carefully cultivated messy appearance without any amenities. He greeted me with a handshake and a grin, bright green eyes set off by too white teeth and a thin fingered hand that was warm, strong and sweat-sticky. Boy hand. This was something I was used to, and something that I could control. He introduced himself quickly and quietly - still smiling - and I followed suit. Edward wasn't a threat, Edward was my age and too nice to even realize that excluding me was an option. I had already gained a friend for the Summer, I could tell. One that wouldn't give a damn about my messy hair or dirty fingernails - Edward was far too pretty to ever consider the likes of me.

Directed by my dad, he scooped up my duffel bag and loped back to the jeep, jamming the luggage into the only tiny space available in the back seat, taking up the spot where I had figured I would be sitting for the trip - as Charlie's girlfriend obviously got passenger seat privileges. Unless she was driving up with Edward and Jasper?

As if thinking the latter's name summoned him, a shoe scuffing the ground alerted me to the presence of Alyson's son.

This... Would be Jasper. If Edward was toothy smiles and friendly boy, Jasper was filthy smirks and terrifying man. Instantly intimidated within 3 seconds of seeing him, I was already dreading the summer ahead with him around the campsite. Messy blond mop and honey tanned skin set off by icy blue eyes. Tight shirt and tighter jeans, a hint of faded ink disappearing into the neck of his white tee. He was spinning a key chain around his index finger, and offered me a simple nod in greeting. I smiled weakly, and tried to pull my tiny shorts down over my hideously scrawny legs, suddenly feeling immensely awkward and out of place. He raised an eyebrow and amusement sparked in his eyes, his lips twisting into a weird impersonation of a smile. He was laughing at me. Go figure. This was probably the last place on Earth that he wanted to be - a summer camping trip with his mom and her new boyfriend, with his possible future kid sister-in-law, and I was probably the last 16 year old in the universe that he wanted to be around. Phoenix girls may be bleached and bubble gum pink but that was what guys like Jasper wanted. He wasn't a Phoenix boy entranced by something different - he was a Washington man who had no time for messy haired, skinny little girls. Luckily, this Summer wasn't about romance. It was about letting go and having what seemed like the entire forest to myself for a month. I could ignore Jasper.

Edward shuffled back up beside his cousin and stuck his hands in the pockets of his shorts, I pulled at mine one last time before standing up straight and waiting for the Chief to issue his instructions, as per usual - he did not disappoint.

"Bells, you'll be riding up with Jasper and Edward this time. Alyson and I will take the jeep - you kids can follow and Bella knows the way to the site once you're on the NF-65. That alright with you, Bells?"

"Sure dad," I agreed easily - internally terrified at a 3 hour car ride with the intimidating Jasper, "are we heading up the same way as usual?" After getting dad's assent, I followed the two boys back to what must have been Jasper's car - a monstrous black and shiny truck - which was parked behind the jeep. Edward hung back a little and tapped my arm with his, the ever-present grin still gracing his face.

"Tough break, huh? Don't worry about it, we'll try and make it fun for you," with a wink and a flourish, he whipped the door to the passenger side open and I slid over the bench seat to the middle. Apparently it would be close quarters for the next 3 hours. Edward didn't bother me so much as the disinterested Jasper who had just deposited himself behind the wheel and slammed his door closed. His younger cousin was already beside me and gently shutting his own door, so I buckled up and prepared for a silent and awkward drive to my favorite place in the world. Jasper pulled out behind Charlie and we began the slow crawl out of the airport parking lot. Edward was flicking through a stack of discs and Jasper had his eyes on the procession of cars ahead of us, so I fished my iPod out of my pocket and prepared to completely zone for the rest of the drive.

* * *

I'd only gotten four songs into my travel play list when I was startled into awareness by Edward tugging an ear bud out of my ear. Happy to be getting even a tiny bit of recognition on this drive, I smiled at him easily.

"What's up, Bella? We not good enough for you?" He softened the jab with an offered piece of gum which I took happily. Bad breath would be the absolute worst being this close to two other people, and traveling always made my mouth sticky. Jasper had his eyes on the road still, but also had the window open and a cigarette between his lips. I couldn't see the jeep anymore so we'd either gone ahead or fallen behind, and at the speed Jasper was driving I was guessing it was the former.

"I'm all for having the headphones out if you're actually going to talk to me," I responded, unwrapping the gum and chewing on it quickly. Edward laughed quietly and threw an arm out his window to rest on the side of the truck.

"What do you wanna talk about, Bella?" He countered, hitting the power switch on the stereo. Wailing guitars and heavy drum tracks filled the cab, unrecognizable to me. I studied his profile as inconspicuously as I could. He was a pretty boy, fine featured but with a strong jaw line and boy stubble. The kind of boy that had the power to make girls weep, but I could already tell that he was the opposite of _that _kind of boy. He was nice, and it would be good to have someone my age around for the Summer.

"For starters, how'd you and Jasper get dragged along for this?" I questioned, splitting my attention between the two. Edward dragged a hand through his hair - so it _was _self inflicted - and Jasper smiled and flicked the butt of his cigarette out his window before speaking in a slow drawl that tugged at my stomach.

"Voluntary exile, kid. Like I'd let my mom disappear into the middle of fuckin' nowhere with a random dude that owns multiple guns and hunting knives for a month? No sir. And Eddie here ain't got nothin' better to do anyway, so I figured he could tag along. What better way to bond with my little cousin, eh?" He finished, reaching an arm over my head to ruffle Edward's already messy hair. 'Eddie' pushed his hand away and kicked his feet up on the dashboard.

"Come on Jazz," he whined, pulling a small tin out of his pocket and settling back into his seat, "We don't know anyone in Forks yet Bella, Jazz and his mom moved up here recently and I'm staying with them for the Summer, I live in Chicago with my parents. How does Phoenix treat you? I wont lie, Jazz and I thought you'd have a little bit more of a tan happening, but the pale look suits you"

Pushing off my shoes and curling my legs up beneath me, I offered them both a smile.

"I'm a freak of nature, the sun just can't get to my pasty skin. I've tried all I can but I still look dead - I've learned to work with it over the years," I replied - interrupted by a scoff from Jasper. I hummed inquisitively and he shook his head. Edward explained with a laugh and a poke to my knee.

"He's pretty much done with the whole tanned and weathered look - you're a nice change of scenery. And it's not pasty so much as see-through," he picked up my arm and studied my wrist, "Ew, I think I can see your veins". I snatched my arm back and elbowed him lightly.

"Shut it, pretty boy," Edward ignored me and opened up his little tin to reveal 3 perfectly rolled joints. Like most other teenagers I'd well and truly had my experience with weed. It inevitably came out at every party and I'd sampled more than enough to know it still wouldn't make me like any of my classmates. But I was already starting to like Edward and Jasper's company, and if they wanted to get high and experience the wilderness I was more than happy to join them, I'd already had the creeping feeling that Charlie wasn't going to be all that present this Summer.

So when Edward lit up and took a deep drag of the joint before offering it to me, I accepted it readily. I'd like to say I surprised and impressed the boys by taking a hit like a champ, but I coughed as was expected and timidly offered it to Jasper. He switched his other hand to the wheel and put the joint delicately between his lips. I watched unashamedly as he pulled heavily and it steadily smoldered down to almost nothing before he passed it back to me. I took one more small hit without choking too much and Edward finished it off. I'd always had an extremely low tolerance when it came to weed, so I stretched my legs out and sat back in my seat while my head swam lazily. Edward prodded my foot with his and I turned my head to face him. The goofy smile was back on his face in full force and his crazy hair was whipping in the wind.

"What would the Chief say, Bellerina?" He asked, picking up my hand and playing absently with my fingers. My hand looked like a toddlers' next to his and made me feel even more like a kid.

"He'd probably kill you first and then move onto me," I answered, bringing my legs back in to curl underneath me as I turned to fully face Edward, my hand still captured in his. He blew air out of his nose in a silent laugh and I hesitantly leaned back to get comfortable. My back was just barely touching Jasper's shoulder and I hoped he wouldn't be too pissed off, as it was super comfortable. I really wanted to just outright lean back on him while I chatted with Edward, but I knew it probably wouldn't be well received. I turned my attention back to Edward and we continued talking about whatever random things crossed through our minds, so it startled me when Jasper grabbed my shoulder and pushed me back against his side.

"Stop hovering there like a fuckwit," he laughed, and bumped me with the shoulder that I was now leaning on. I butted my head back against his shoulder and laughed with him. Edward turned the dial on the volume and whatever mix they'd made for the trip filled the car. I leaned heavily on Jasper and stretched my legs out to hit the opposite corner of the cab, up on the dashboard and resting on Edward's bare ankles and settled in for a long drive.

* * *

Over the next few hours I got to know Edward and Jasper pretty well. We chatted lazily and asked each other questions when they came to mind. Edward was just as nice and easy going as I had first thought, and Jasper wasn't as much of a prick as I'd guessed he was. I got along pretty well with both of them, but still couldn't shake the thought that maybe they'd wished 'the Chief' had a proper Phoenix daughter, and I was just a poor substitute. Luckily, I had zero intention of messing around with my father's probably future step son and nephew, so it was a bit easier without the sexual undertone that usually came hand in hand with teenage boys. Neither Edward or Jasper seemed even remotely into me in that way - so we were all happy to just smoke up and hang out with each other.

Edward was 17 and lived in Chicago with his parents. He was into classic rock and was the best swimmer his school had seen in years - taking home the gold in almost every race he entered. His step dad Carlisle was really pushing him to go for a scholarship at Stanford, and join the swim team there, and Edward didn't really have a problem with that as long as he could major in music - his self proclaimed dream was to be an Olympic swimmer and teach piano lessons in his spare time. He was okay with the idea of not achieving his dream, he'd settle for taking nationals if he couldn't have the Olympics. His mother Esme wanted him to stay closer to home, but she was coming to terms with it slowly. He had a 15 year old sister named Alice in high school and a 23 year old brother named Emmett who was already in college. The way he talked about them made me long for a brother or sister that would care for me the way Edward fiercely loved his siblings, as he would obviously do anything for them and not even think twice.

Jasper and his mom had just recently moved to Washington from Flower Mound, Texas - a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. His parents divorced about a year back and they had only just gotten around to moving out of state, something his mom had wanted to do ever since she left Jasper's dad. They chose Washington on a whim and Jasper picked Forks because the name stood out to him, and the next week they were packed up and driving across the country towards Olympia. He was 20 - and still hadn't done anything with his life beyond graduating high school, a fact he was perfectly content with. He'd been a counter clerk in a hunting, camping and fishing store back in Flower Mound and the closest he'd gotten to that in Washington was the Brown's Outdoor in Port Angeles where he sold tents to hikers coming in from all kinds of places. He didn't have a dream or a goal in life and was happy to just carry on as he was now, eventually wanting to own his own outdoor supplier if everything went right. That was why he was so happy to come on the trip he explained, getting to look after his mom with the added bonus of fishing and hiking? He was all for it.

I gave Edward and Jasper a half-assed description of my life so far, mostly focusing on how much I always looked forward to my Summers in Washington. I told them about my loose fit in Phoenix High and my dreams of one day owning a log cabin far out enough where I could see the stars and never be bothered by anyone unless I willed it so. Jasper laughed at this and likened me to a dryad, which spurred Edward into snatching a handful of crumbled leaves from a passing branch and sprinkling them into my tangled hair - christening me their little 'wood nymph' and ignoring my protests.

* * *

It was late afternoon when we started properly winding into the curves of the roads that I recognized so well. It would only be about 20 minutes until we reached the spot on the highway where we would have to leave the cars behind and hike to our camping spot. We all popped some gum and I spritzed myself with some perfume that I found in my messenger bag.

We reached the bridge that crossed across Goblin Creek at around 4 - Jasper shot me a skeptical look when I directed him over onto the shoulder - we had been running along the NF-65 up into the Cascades and had reached a metal bridge that passed over a poor excuse for a river when I told Jasper to pull over, and there was nothing in sight but the river and mass amounts of foliage. As Jasper pulled over to the shoulder I pointed out a small opening in a copse of trees just ahead of us - we crawled over the dead branches and leaves and emerged into a small clearing that was cleared out by Granddad Swan when he first started bringing his son up here, and was expanded upon by dad when he got his chance to show the Cascades to his daughter. Jasper slotted his truck as far over to the right as possible, leaving just enough room for the jeep beside us. Edward and I tumbled out of the car and stretched our legs, while Jasper leaned back against his truck and smoked a cigarette.

It was absolute heaven breathing in the taste and smell of the forest, letting it sweep across my tongue and linger in my mouth. It was fresh, damp wood and it was _home_. Jasper and Edward didn't laugh when I lay flat down in the fallen leaves, nor did they say a word as I smiled up at the sky and splayed my arms and legs. Edward just lay down beside me and started pointing out shapes in the clouds above us - Jasper disagreeing with him occasionally _- "It's not a rabbit you fuckin' douche do they look like ears to you?" _- and we only moved from our spots when dad's jeep crunched over the ground half an hour later.

"Get up kids, we've got a good hour hike to go and if I catch one of you not pulling your weight, there'll be hell to pay," was his barked greeting.

I shot to my feet and started pulling bags from the back of the jeep, tossing them behind me in a sizeable pile. Luggage, canvas tents, boxes of supplies, and everything in between. I scratched my arm on the steel grating of the portable camp stove and hissed through my teeth. I heard Edward and his low utterance of _"pussy" _next to me and flung a bag of tent pegs heavily at his stomach. He caught them with a grin and added them to our pile. Jasper was over at his truck pulling out all of the gear he had brought, and by the time 20 minutes had passed we were completely unpacked and ready to begin. As was routine, I started loading myself up with all of the lighter bags - as many on each arm as I could carry - and grabbed the offending camp stove in my arms. Edward looked to be on tent duty, as he'd picked up three sets of tents and was carefully stringing bags of pegs around his neck to carry to the site.

I went to add Jasper's backpack to my haul but he shook his head with a laugh and strapped it over his shoulders with a distinct and muted clinking of bottles. Maybe this Summer _was _going to be one to truly remember.

Once we were all strapped up with equipment and luggage, dad started leading the way ahead with Alyson at his side. Edward and I followed side by side, kicking out at each other and trying to trip the other up while Jasper brought up the rear.

Dad liked to call our spot 'Swan Creek'. It was what Granddad Swan had named our camping spot and the name had stuck when it was inherited by his son and his granddaughter. It was about an hour and a half hike North from the bridge point, and was almost impossible to get to or from if you didn't know where you were going. The three newcomers clearly were extremely lost, and would no doubt never be able to find their way in or out of the campsite without either of us helping them. I just barely knew the way myself, and didn't like my chances of being able to find my way there or back on my own without dad's help. Luckily, that would never be necessary.

Our path followed the creek North for 45 minutes, which was easy enough to follow. From there, we started weaving into the dense forest, a path that dad knew like the back of his hand. West for 20 minutes and then North West for 15. By that point the canopy above was dense and you were well and truly lost in the Wilderness - the camp site was marked by a huge mossy boulder about 5 minutes out. Once you found the rock, you were basically already there. When I was younger, dad used to pretend that he was lost and would let me find the rock to get us to the site. By 16, I well and truly knew the area from the boulder to the stream on the opposite side like the back of my hand and had no chance of getting lost in that little area.

The hike went fairly quickly. Jasper was steadfast and determined, only breaking his concentration to laugh at a particularly idiotic comment Edward had made, or to poke fun at me for getting my foot stuck under a tree root. Dad and Alyson were leading the pack steadily, and Edward and I were keeping up a steady stream of conversation the entire way. By the time we finally reached the telling boulder I was extremely relieved - my legs and arms were aching and I was fucking _starving_. We came out into another man made clearing and I immediately dropped what I was carrying and stretched my arms out, trying to shake the strain from them.

'Swan Creek' was a small wooded clearing, dimmed by the canopy overhead and bordered on the West by a small stream, just big enough to swim comfortably in without touching the bottom. Dad had built in a fire pit a few years back, surrounded by felled logs to sit on. This place was the absolute epitome of my happy place, and I could already feel my heart beating slower and the tranquility of the woods seeping into my bones. This was what I waited for every year, to get back into these trees and let myself go for a month. Eating whatever we caught, and bathing in the river - this was where I was undoubtedly happy.

Edward interrupted my reverie by stepping up behind me and tugging on a lock of my hair.

"Back home, little nymph?" He murmured quietly, not spoiling the quiet calm of the clearing.

"Definitely," I whispered, "Doesn't it just feel so amazing?"

With Edward, this boy I had met scarcely four hours ago, I was not afraid of being different or being perceived as that wild, uncontrolled intruder. This was where I felt at home, and he was here with me - along with his aunt and cousin. He hummed his agreement and turned to help unpack the tents. I breathed quietly for a few minutes, mentally planning everything I was going to do in the next four weeks - from swimming every day to fishing for food with Charlie, and roasting the catches on the fire at night. Going to see if my old climbing tree was as big as I remembered and maybe even introducing Edward and Jasper to it. I had expected Alyson's son and nephew to completely disregard me as her boyfriend's scrawny kid - but it seemed like they were genuinely happy to be here, whereas most people their age would rather be back in society for their time away from school or work. Out here I wasn't Isabella, the mysterious and completely touchable entity that stalked the halls of Phoenix High and gave herself up to drunk boys in an attempt to feel wanted - I was myself. I was unrestrained wilderness, I was vines creeping up the trunks of hundred year old trees and I was the bear that tore fish from the water with a gentle paw before ripping them apart with my teeth.

I was home.


	2. Wilderbella

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all its recognizable characters - I own the plot alone.**

I woke to the weak light of dawn filtering in through the thin and flimsy fabric roof of my tent, heating my face and promising a day of baking heat. I was twisted up in my blankets - sleeping bags felt too constricted - and my hair was tangled beyond belief. Fishing around near my feet, I eventually found a pair of sweatpants to pull up over my bare legs. Ignoring the complaints of my full bladder, I flipped over to face the mesh net at the door of my tent to stare out at the morning light. The fire pit was smoldering slightly, mostly ash - and the door of dad's tent was already open. He wasn't anywhere around the immediate area which only left the creek. Snagging a roll of toilet paper, I let myself out of my tent and stumbled into the trees to take care of business. Once I was done I threw the roll in the general direction of my tent and walked on soft feet to the creek that ran along the side of our clearing.

Dad was there, sweats rolled up to his knees and legs hanging in the no doubt freezing water. I threw myself down on the dirty bank beside him and dipped my toes into the stream. Fucking _glacial_.  
Leaning my head on dad's shoulder, I let myself be hypnotized by the trees around me. We sat quietly, watching the forest wake up around us and only moving when rustles and groans alerted us to the presence of the other campers. Dad got to his feet and offered a hand to bring me to mine, pulling me into a warm hug.

"Glad to be here with you, Bells. I don't see you enough," he mumbled quietly. I hugged him tighter and responded with a whispered "_Love you too, dad_". We broke apart and turned to head back to the tents. Jasper was standing at the fire pit in shorts and a wrinkled tee, poking at the barely smoldering fire - feeding it with whispered breaths and scraps of kindling - steadily raising it to a low blaze. Satisfied with his work, he dropped the stick he was holding into the fire and rubbed a hand across his eyes. He too, seemed noticeably happier now that we had arrived. Relaxed, and calm - a mirror to my own emotions. He smiled at us as we reached the fire and took our places on one of the logs surrounding the pit.  
Jasper dropped to the tree behind him and fished out a cigarette from a crushed pack in his pocket. Flicking a lighter and gesturing to dad, his rough morning voice ground out a respectful query.

"Alright if I smoke around the tents, Chief?"

Dad liked nothing more than when people deferred to him, or at least respected him enough to make sure what they were doing was okay - Jasper was already pretty high regarded in dad's eyes with that one question.

"Sure thing Jasper," he allowed and Jasper brought the cigarette to his lips and lit it quickly, eyes dropping to the burning fire before him. Dad got up to rustle around in the stock box of food we brought for the first day, and in the case of not being able to catch anything on a particular day, and emerged triumphant with a packet of bacon rashers and a carton of eggs. I pushed myself up to go and dig through our other boxes in search of the metal contraption we used to fry our food. It was a tray, suspended on four legs that could stand above the flames and be heated to cook up just about anything.  
Dragging it over to the fire, I was saved from trying to haul it over the hot flames by Jasper, who snuffed out his smoke and grabbed the monstrous construct. Confident that Jasper could handle the Steel Monster, I returned to grab the coffee pot and made my way back over to the stream to get some water. By the time I'd gotten back, Alyson was next to her son on the log and Edward was nowhere in sight. Charlie was getting the bacon and eggs started well enough on his own, so I dumped a handful of instant coffee into the pot and hung it off the edge of the tray and returned to my spot next to the fire.

"Sleep well, Bella?" Alyson murmured quietly, bright eyes glazed in the early morning and lips quirked in a sleepy smile.  
"Slept great," I sighed happily, digging my toes into the dirt beneath my feet, paying no mind to dirty toenails or the like.

"How about you," I asked softly, "And you, Jasper?"  
Alyson nodded an affirmative and Jasper's eyes scrunched up as he yawned.

"Well enough," he said, "Forgot what it was like sleeping on the ground".  
The crack and sizzle of breakfast filled the clearing and the strong smell of bacon and coffee radiated from the fire. With a muttered "_fuck_" and a groan, Edward burst out from his tent and interrupted the quiet peace. Grumbling and cursing, he stumbled out of view for 30 seconds and returned to throw himself on the log beside me, in yesterday's wrinkled clothes.

"How did _you _sleep Eddie?" Jasper bellowed, startling a few birds from the branches above us. Edward groaned even louder and covered his face with his hands before muttering out a reply.

"Hideously. I could feel the ground through my mattress and some fucking animal was hanging around all night. Who actually _enjoys _camping?" Jasper shrugged and grinned, and I swiped a dirty foot up the side of Edward's leg.  
"Everyone but you, pretty boy," I teased, and he flicked me hard on the calf. Charlie loudly announced the completion of breakfast, and I doled out black coffee to everyone. Grabbing my own cup and a few slices of bacon in my hands, I retreated back to my log and folded my legs beneath me. As we ate, we planned for the day ahead.

Charlie wanted to get started on some fishing early, and Alyson was dead set on setting up the camp ground to "feel more like home". I had planned to do some exploring and swimming, which Edward was happy to join me in and Jasper opted for fishing with Charlie, hoping to catch something good enough for us to eat tonight.  
Decided, we all went our separate ways to get ready to head out. I slipped back into my tent, and pulled the privacy screen over the mesh net that faced out toward the fire pit. Awkwardly maneuvering myself around the enclosed space, I fought my way out of my pajamas and into a swim suit and denim cutoffs. Not liking the idea of getting my chest and stomach scratched up by rocks and branches, I pulled a white tank on over my bikini top. Flicking a hair elastic around my wrist and rolling on some deodorant, I unzipped my tent and stepped back out to the campsite. Charlie and Jasper was already gone, and Alyson was messing around with some of the gear stored off to the side. Edward was waiting for me by the fire pit in swim trunks and a loose singlet shirt.

Greeting him with a smile and a beckoned finger, I led Edward out over to the stream and began wading out towards the middle. The icy water lapped against my thighs and I shivered.

"What the fuck Bellarina, I thought we were gonna go swimming later on? It's cold as fucking dicks in this water," he groused - dipping a toe into the stream and hissing in disapproval.

"We are," I answered simply, halting my progress to shoot him a glare over my shoulder, "But if you want to get to the other side of the creek, you're either swimming or building a raft and I'm not waiting for your incapable ass to build anything".

Edward scoffed at me, but started wading his way toward me, a constant string of curses spilling from his mouth.  
"Just keep your head above and swim to the other side, it won't be that bad," I advised, my feet just starting to lose the feel of the muddy creek bed.  
"Head above water, eh?" Edward asked, coming level to me. We were about halfway across the stream at this point and my body was freezing. Edward came up close beside me and put his hand on top of my head. Treading water, I turned to him, panicked - "Don't you fucking _da-_"

He dunked me into the freezing water, hand pushing down on my head until it was entirely below water before letting up. I came up spluttering and frozen, fists whirling and hitting any part of him I could reach, trying to find purchase on his slippery skin so I could return the favour.

"You,"

_Punch_

"Fucking,"

_Slap_

"Bastard," I gasped, at last managing to wind myself up and around his arm to bring my hands down on his stupid hair. I tried in vain to shove his head under the water but he was keeping us both afloat with ease.

"Fucking swim team _fuck_," I wheezed, giving up and just floating beside him and using his body to keep my head above water. Edward was laughing, treading water with ease.

"Fucking swim team fuck? Is that what you _think _of me Bellarina?" He mock gasped, swimming toward the opposite bank while I let myself be tugged through the water by his strong strokes. We reached the muddy bank and he flipped me over his shoulder to stand on the dry section a bit further up. I huffed at him, and wiggled my toes in my waterlogged shoes. My hair was soaking and tangled around my face, and the tip of my nose was about to fall off from frostbite, but I was smiling. Edward, having recovered from his outrage at camping and having been made to swim in a freezing creek, was sporting his ever present grin, hair even wilder now that I had tried to use it to take him down.

Shivering in the slight breeze, we made our way into the trees. I wound my way ahead through the tangle of roots and branches and Edward followed quietly along. The silence was welcome as I let myself my drawn into my favourite place, the woods welcoming me home like family and the sun drying my skin and hair as it rose steadily into the sky. Without any warning to my companion, I started running through the trees. Not entirely sure that Edward could keep up - I knew the area and where I was going - I jumped and ducked my way though the forest, branches whipping at my face and skin but letting me through nonetheless. Edward crashed through behind me, following my seemingly nonsensical trail. Darting around rocks and roots that had broken the forest floor, I reveled in the feeling of being able to freely run through the trees that I had missed. Breaking into a flat sprint, I was flying through the trees when I suddenly broke out onto the river bank. By this point, the sun was high in the sky and was beating down on me, baking my skin and setting me ablaze. Before me was Goblin Creek, the river that branched out from the larger North Fork of the Skykomish.

Edward burst through the forest edge, slamming into me and almost sending us tumbling to the ground. I steadied us and fixed him with an amused stare.

"Where've you been, pretty boy? Couldn't keep up?" I simpered, and Edward merely scoffed in response and ran a hand through his long hair.  
"You're fucking _fast _Bella, do you run track?" he gasped, patting me on the shoulder before dropping his hands to his knees. Laughing, I smacked him in the side of his lowered head.

"No you idiot, you're just slow. So much for an Olympic swimmer, you couldn't outswim a toddler," I ribbed, stretching my arms above my head. Bird calls rang out in the trees around us and I sighed in contentment. Edward rose up from his hunched over position and cocked an eyebrow at me.

"That was on land, Bellarina. I'm much faster in the water - care for a wager?" He nodded towards the river that ran alongside us. Edward was looking for a race. I knew he would probably beat me, but I was betting on the fact that he'd never tried his chances in a river before. I'd been swimming in creeks and lakes before I'd ever even seen a pool - odds were that Edward was used to flat and predictable chlorinated pools, not a rushing river. Taking him up on the challenge, I quickly started to kick off my shoes while hashing out the details of the bet.

"What's the wager then, Cullen? What do I get if I kick your scrawny ass?"  
Edward pulled off his own shoes and socks while he deliberated.  
"How about if I win, your pretty hair gets a mud bath?" He offered, scooping a handful of the thick and filthy mud that made up te river bank, "Couldn't look much worse than it already does, right?"

Mud was easy - mud was _nothing_. But entranced by the idea of Edward having to smother his precious hair in thick river mud, I accepted his offer.  
"Same goes for you, pretty boy. I wanna see your hair fucking _covered _in this shit," I crowed, stripping out of my tank top and denims, to stand on the edge of the river in my bikini.  
"You're going down you swim team _fuck_," I joked, and Edward rolled his eyes as he peeled off his shirt to reveal a toned chest, and brushed a hand down his stomach.  
"Like what you see, Swan? Want a taste of the Cullen?" He teased. Ignoring him and his obvious preening, I jumped up and down and shook out my arms.

I dove headfirst into the river, happy that it wasn't too rough today. Some days it was positively dangerous, and we could have been carried down river for hours without being able to get out of the current. Luckily, today's current was soft and gentle, slowly guiding me to the middle and only requiring slight effort to remain from heading downstream. Edward followed me in with a perfect dive, slicing into the water and emerging behind me with a huge grin.

"Ready to get the beatdown of your _life, _Bellarina?" He challenged, and I laughed in his face. He glared at me and pulled on a chunk of my hair.  
"Not nice," He admonished with a stern look. I grinned at him.

"Swimming upstream, first person to reach," I paused and deliberated, scanning over the landmarks a bit further up the river, "_That _rock," I declared, pointing out a mossy boulder jutting out halfway into the water. Edward nodded his acceptance and steeled his features. Tightening my muscles and getting ready to start swimming, I counted us out.

"Ready, set, _go_," Edward was off like a fucking flash. Dipping beneath the water, I capitalized on my ability to swim better underwater than on top of it. Edward was just ahead of me, slicing through the water like an arrow - arms whirling and legs kicking up a frenzy. I slipped through the water below him, getting lucky and finding rocks sticking out of the riverbed that I could grab and use to propel myself towards the boulder that was not too far ahead of us. I was even with Edward, kicking my legs and relishing the burn of my lungs and my calf muscles that I hadn't used in this manner in so long, I was actually beginning to fancy my chances when Edward shot ahead with ease, going almost twice my speed. He had been holding out on me. He reached the rock in the space of a few seconds, and I rose gasping out of the water 30 seconds later. Edward had pulled himself up and onto the flat surface of the rock, and easily lifted me up with him when I stretched an arm out. Panting and trying to quell the burn in my lungs, I fixed him with an accusing glare.

"Why didn't you just go fast at the _start_," I wheezed, wringing my hair out as best I could. Edward smiled at me sweetly, not even remotely out of breath.  
"I thought I'd give you a chance Bellarina - now about that mud..."

He was interrupted by Jasper calling out from the opposite side of the river.

"Did you swindle poor Bella, Edward?" He called, standing with a rod over his shoulder and bucket full of what could only be fish in his right hand. Edward laughed and I smacked his shoulder hard, still slightly out of breath. Jasper shook his head and turned to head back towards the camp site.

"Where you headed, Jasper?" I yelled out, and he turned to face us again.

"Back to camp, gotta drop these off with mom - wanna join me for a swim in the creek? I don't fancy my chances in the river, to be honest," he answered, continuing towards his intended destination. Edward and I agreed to meet back at the camp, and he headed to get our shoes and clothes while I dove back off the rock and swam across before heading back to the tents. My feet were a bit scratched up when I got there due to my lack of shoes, but not enough to really bother me. Dad and Alyson were frying a catch over the fire and Jasper was depositing his bucket of fish over near the food stock. Alyson had done an amazing job of setting up the camp - it would be no trouble to spend the next 4 weeks here. Edward made himself known by crashing through the trees behind me, and I snagged my shoes and clothes from him and popped them down over near my tent. The fish was ready quickly, and we ate together before heading off on our separate ways. Dad and Aly for a hike further up into the mountains, and the boys and I for a swim in the stream.

I headed over first and waded straight into the cool water, relishing the feel of it on my warm skin. Edward dove in after me and pulled down on my ankle, dunking me under the now bearable water. Jasper walked up after changing into a pair of swim trunks, and it was harder to be as blasé as I was about Edward's lack of shirt.

Jasper... Was hot. Lean and muscled with a fine dusting of blond hair on his chest and flat stomach, he was quickly returning to his status of terrifying man to Edward's friendly boy. Edward was sweet and avoidable, there was no avoiding the hard cut lines of Jasper's chest and the way that his shorts dipped so low on his hips. Jasper was the first time I found myself properly _into _a guy - in the way that Phoenix buys had fumbled around in my panties to their hearts content but I'd never actually wanted anything from them. I _wanted _Jasper, and it stung a little to know that he would never want me in the same way. I was earthy dirt and smudged lines, he needed the clean cut of perfection that could only be found in girls who tried. Shrugging off the feeling of rejection - _he's your possible future brother-in-law you fucking sicko_ - I twisted over onto my back to float in the calm waters. Edward harassed me from underwater for a bit before retreating upstream to practise his strokes. Jasper joined me in floating and we watched the reflection from the water ripple in the leafy canopy above us.

"You really like this, don't you?" He murmured, startling me slightly.

"Yeah," I answered honestly, "I love it. I don't know what 'it' is, but I just can't be without _this_. The trees, and the water and the air. It's so enclosed, and private - but the most open place in the world, you know? Phoenix is all flat and empty desert but it's suffocating me, I feel the least constricted when I'm completely surrounded by the forest. It's freeing. It gets me, like Arizona never will".  
I crushed the feeling of embarrassment that came with my admission and instead floated steadily beside Jasper. A hand brushed against mine and I was seconds away from cussing Edward out before the hand enclosed mine. That was not sweet, sticky boy hand. That was dry and calloused _man _hand, and was most decidedly _not _Edward's hand.

"I understand exactly," Jasper intoned as we floated in the creek hand in hand, watching birds flit above us and the wispy clouds float by.

**Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**


	3. Woodland

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all its recognizable characters - I own the plot alone.**

Edward swam his way towards us after about half an hour of peaceful floating. He joined us quietly for 5 minutes before getting bored and flicking water onto our faces. Jasper let go of my hand and dipped quickly under the water and Edward weaved around me in circles, humming the Jaws theme and following up with intermittent pokes to the ribs. Just as I was getting beyond irritated with Edward's poking and was considering trying my hand at taking him out again, Jasper rose out of the water and dragged him down to the bottom of the creek. Edward was laughing hysterically even under the water, giant air bubbles rushing to the surface and breaking beneath me. I flipped over onto my stomach to watch what was happening underwater, as Jasper pinned Edward to the muddy creek bed and rubbed a handful of the thick river mud into his hair. It mostly washed off in the tussle but when they emerged from the water, laughing and gasping for air, Edward still had clumps of mud sticking to his crazy mop of hair.

Jasper executed a swift underwater back flip and popped back up next to me with a wink. Edward was swearing and vigorously rubbing at his head with water, getting even angrier when we laughed at his attempts to get rid of the mud. Eyes glinting, he gave up on his hair and floated over to me with a grin on his face, eyes glinting.

"Precious Bellarina, have you forgotten our agreement?" he crooned, treading water in front of me. Jasper breathed a laugh behind us. "Come on Eddie, that wasn't a fair bet," he reasoned, swimming around to where Edward and I could see him, "Care to make it interesting? We'll all race, loser gets the mud".

Edward narrowed his eyes and thought for a few seconds.  
"Deal!" he declared easily, swimming upstream, "This creek connects with the river right, Bella?"  
Edward was fucking crazy. That was a good half an hour swim to the river, and he wanted to race us? He was going to absolutely cream us, no doubt about it.  
"Yeah, but..." I started but was interrupted quickly by Edward.  
"Me against you and Jasper. Like a relay, one of you can start halfway down and take over for the other. Sound good?" Jasper nudged me and nodded when I looked to see what he wanted. He was up for it. Edward would get tired eventually, right?  
"I'll start Bella," he offered, "I've got a better chance in the flat water anyway". Edward was doing his breathing and stretching his arms as he floated easily in the deep water. I still didn't like our chances.

Agreeing with Jasper and retreating to the bank, I announced the start of the race. Edward interrupted briefly with a suggestion that I dropped my top like a kerchief but Jasper smacked him up the back of the head pretty quickly with a hissed "_fuckin' idiot_".

"Three,"

Jasper dunked a swearing Edward.

"Two,"

Edward flicked Jasper in the cheek and tried to push him underwater.

"One,"

The two boys lined up evenly in the middle of the creek and steeled themselves, both gasping in large lungfuls of air. I was beginning to think Jasper was better than he let on.

"_Go_".

Both took off like torpedos, moving through the water at a crazy speed, water sluicing off and around them like it couldn't wait to get out of their way. I took off running along the soft bank, easily keeping up with them on my feet and internally calculating where the midpoint between the start and the river would be.  
Edward was keeping ahead of Jasper easily but Jasper wasn't dropping behind at all. I ran with them, relishing the muggy air that parted for me as I ran. Edward was still steadily ahead of Jasper when I reached a flat packed section of the bank that was about halfway. I braced my legs and waited for Edward to reach me.  
Just as he was about to pass me I launched myself into the water in a sloppy dive and tried to get into a rhythm. Opting for underwater swimming again I sliced through the water as quick as possible, sculling along on my stomach with my arms propelling me as fast as I could go. When I started to run out of breath I emerged briefly and then dipped straight back under. Edward was still a few meters ahead of me, but I was counting on him losing steam before we actually reached the river.

I could see the curve in the creek that signified we were almost there, but Edward was still going strong. My arms and lungs were burning, and he was showing no sign of slowing. My last chance was the littering of rocks and algae that sat at the intersection of creek and river. They were coming up fast, and I knew that Edward would not expect them nor be as adept at navigating them as I was. I could tell when he hit the rocks, as he paused momentarily and started slowly making his way through and around them in a controlled stroke.

This was my chance. Popping up for one last breath I surged down as deep as possible and started pulling myself through the rocks using my hands. This was one of my favourite activities over the summer, so it was basically muscle memory to twist and slide my way through the close-packed stones and avoid the algae floating on the surface. I was level with Edward now and he wasn't getting any faster. Miraculously, I had a good 40 second lead when we broke out into the final stretch of the creek before we hit the river. I was pushing myself to the absolute limit while keeping an eye out for Edward. Chest searing, and legs threatening to give up I broke out into the river and came to the surface gasping heavily and just barely treading water. Edward was laughing loudly beside me.

"Almost had me there for a second Bella, you're like a fucking shark under the water. Thanks for warning me about the fucking rocks too, I really appreciate it".  
Jasper was laughing on the bank also and easily pulled me up and out of the water when I swam over to him.  
"Who won?" I gasped, shivering slightly in the now cool evening wind. Jasper pulled a face and rubbed his hands on my arms in an attempt to warm me up.  
"Edward did, the wily fuck," he complained.

The winner was twisting and flipping in the water, yelling triumphantly. Once he was done with his celebrations, he waded out of the river and scooped up a huge handful of mud from the bank.  
"Who's first," he demanded, pouring the dirty mud from hand to hand. Jasper pushed me behind him and braced himself.  
"One team, one mud allowance," he declared and Edward scoffed. Laughing, I came out from behind Jasper and took my spot next to him. "I can handle some mud, Jas," I reassured him while Edward piled more mud into his free hand. Jasper got to his knees, coming up to above my shoulder. His still wet hair tickled my arm.

Without warning, Edward smashed his hands onto our heads. Cool river mud ran down my back and slipped along my collarbones. It stank like foul dirt and duck shit. Not happy with just that, Edward had his hands in my hair spreading it evenly throughout all the strands and making sure my hair was completely saturated with the filthy substance. He was laughing, flicking mud off his hands when I tackled him onto the muddy river bank, smearing mud all over his bare back, pinning his arms with my knees - just barely, I didn't have the thick muscles to compete with his swimmer's arms – and I called for Jasper. He ran up beside us and started piling mud onto Edward's chest and into his hair.  
Giggling, I rolled off Edward and onto the bank, covering myself in even more filth. Jasper shoved me in the side with his bare foot, and I went rolling into the water with him wading after me. We washed off and were eventually joined by a complaining Edward who managed to get all the mud off of him also. Laughing and ribbing each other, we walked back up in the shallow water on the creek bank, heading back towards camp.

* * *

When we reached the tents we collapsed onto the logs around the fire pit, exhausted. Alyson was sitting with a plate of fish in her, lap, rubbing salt and spices into their de-scaled flesh. This would be the best we'd eaten at Swan Creek since the first year when we actually purchased all of our food supplies – meals were usually just fresh catches roasted and eaten hot, this was borderline gourmet for us. We lounged around the fire in our swim suits while Aly salted and spiced the fish. Dad emerged from the trees with wet and tousled hair and a towel around his shoulders – likely coming from the pond that we used as a pseudo-bath.

"Good day, kids?" He asked gruffly, tossing his towel over me where I was stretched out on my log. I whined and pushed the damp towel onto the ground. Edward picked it up and draped it over my face, now not only wet but covered in dirt. Growling, I flicked the towel up and around Edward's neck and pushed his face into the log.

"Say you're sorry!" I demanded, and he laughed into the bark. I twisted his face further into the mossy wood.  
"Say it!" I hissed. Jasper kicked up a foot and rested it heavily on Edward's back – Edward, who was now on his hands and knees in the dirt with his face pressed into a log. Dad was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Inexplicably, I felt like a reprimanded child. Like I was doing something wrong. My dad thought I was flirting with Edward, and everyone else probably thought the same.

Suddenly uncomfortable, I let Edward go and backed up to my spot on the log.

"Bit cold out for a bikini, isn't it Bella?" Dad muttered, and I got the hint. Retreating to my tent, I slipped into track pants and a sweater over my bikini. The nights could get cold in the mountains, Charlie was right. But I knew what he was thinking, and it didn't matter that I wasn't trying to seduce Edward at all, I could see how it could be construed as flirting, and it was probably embarrassing for everyone to watch – and doubly embarrassing for Edward to have to put up with from his aunt's boyfriend's scrawny little kid. Once I was fully covered up, I came back out to the fire.

Dad had put the fish on to fry and Edward was chatting quietly with Alyson while Jasper frowned at something off in the distance. There was plenty of room next to Jasper, but conscious of my father and my prior actions, I chose the unoccupied log and curled my feet up beneath me. Self-conscious, I started playing with a loose thread on my track pants, letting the evening sounds of the forest calm and soothe me. A heavy wooden thud and a nudge to the arm alerted me to someone else's presence on my seat, and I glanced up to find Jasper frowning at me.

"Want to go for a walk?" He asked quietly, his elbow still touching mine. I looked towards Dad and found him sitting on his own log, watching the fish pop and sizzle on the fire. "Hey," Jasper murmured, catching my attention, "Do _you _want to go for a walk?"  
I nodded carefully, not wanting dad to hear my acquiescence. Jasper stood up and beckoned me with him, announcing our intention of a walk before dinner to the rest of the group. Dad's head shot up and he glared at me in disapproval. Pretending not to see him, I followed Jasper out of the area of the tents and through the thinning trees to the edge of the stream and a bit further north, so we were out of sight from the fire. Jasper threw himself down on the dry leafy bed and I followed suit. There we sat, staring at the creek water run slowly towards the greater branch. I was breathing in the taste of the dusky mud and clear water when Jasper finally spoke.

"Even if you _were _hitting on Eddie, you know it wouldn't be the Chief's place to stop you, right?" He began, bumping my shoulder with his. I breathed in deeply yet again, centering myself with the taste of the wild.

"The issue wasn't that my dad thought I was flirting with Edward. The problem was that he called me out on something that I didn't even realise I was doing - I mean, I probably was flirting with him, right? But the problem _is _that he brought it up in front of everyone, and Edward and your mom probably think that's what I was doing, and Edward must feel _so _uncomfortable about it, ya know? Like, what if I've been accidentally hitting on him all day, being too intimate when things should be kept at a purely platonic level? With the race, and the mud - that wasn't my intention at all but what if he thinks it is too, especially now? He probably thinks I'm some hideous raging perv after that, he must be disgusted," I ranted, twisting a leaf between my fingers and trying to stop from hyperventilating. I really liked Edward and Jasper, I really liked that they seemed to be happier out here in the mountains - Edward seemed like he'd be happy anywhere, but both he and Jasper completely accepted my weird tendency to breathe heavily when the scent of mud and moss was on the wind, or to just sit and absorb the _feel _of the forest. If I lost their trust for the rest of this trip, I'd have to be on my own, with just my dad. That had always been enough before - but now? After today I _really _didn't want to have to go back to swimming or exploring on my own.

"Basically, I'm just really embarrassed and I _really _hope that I haven't weirded you or Edward out with anything I've done, I didn't mean it that way, alright? I'm sorry, I'm so sor-" Jasper interrupted me with a fierce look and a finger to the lips. I stopped talking mostly out of shock rather than his way of silencing me being actually affective.

"You haven't been out of line, alright Bella? Your dad's just over protective, and I think he's more worried about Edward or I doing something to you, rather than the other way 'round," he began and I talked over him in a laugh.  
"Yeah," I scoffed, "Like _you_, or _Edward_ would try anything with me". Jasper frowned and I shook my head - incredulous.

"Yeah," he whispered, "Yeah we probably would - if we had no respect for your dad or my mom, or for _you_. Listen Bella, we'd be downright lucky bastards if half of what your dad thought was going on was actually happening. Have you seen yourself? Must have the guys in Phoenix pantin' after you," he joked. I really wanted to believe Jasper - truly I did. But chances were Jasper was trying to make me feel better about being caught out about being super inappropriate with a maybe-probably-future-relative. I was a scrawny, dirty mess and they were the definition of pretty perfection. Jasper was getting angry at this point, and ripped the leaf out of my hand to toss into the river. Grabbing either side of my face, he looked me straight in the eyes and spoke in a harsh voice. Trying to focus on his words rather than his _really _nice blue eyes, I aimed my gaze at a tiny freckle on his nose and listened to what he had to say.

"Bella. _You_ are gorgeous. The way you feel about the wild, about these mountains? It's _so _uncommon in someone your age and anyone would find it admirable. Even my mom can recognize that you're special, Bella. You're different. Not in the way that all teenagers want to be different no, _you?_ You are wild, and uncontrolled, and so beautiful in this environment that it _terrifies _your father. Out of these mountains, Edward might not have looked at you twice, or taken the time to actually get to know you. But we had that car ride, and we've had today, and we've gotten to know you pretty well in that time - well enough to know that you're not trying to sleaze your way onto your dad's girlfriend's son or nephew. Your dad knows that, he's worried about _us _trying it out with you. Don't say it's stupid, _don't _say we're out of your league because it's you that's out of ours," He finished with a heavy breath and dark, raging eyes. I was stunned.

We were interrupted by Edward crashing his way towards us with heavy feet and a shout of indignation.  
"Aw, Jasper! You guys making out? You didn't even give me a _chance_," He raged, flopping down between us and breaking his cousin's hold on my face. Suddenly serious, he rolled to face me and tickled my inner arm with his index finger.

"You okay, Bella? You know that I don't think you're mackin' onto me, right?" He implored, not letting up when I squirmed at his tickling. Slapping his hand away, I breathed deeply and looked at the faces of my two new friends. They just looked so _genuine_, that I couldn't help but at least try and believe them. I nodded slowly, trying out a weak smile. Edward flicked my knee with his hand.

"That'd be half my luck though, right? Not even gonna let me test drive the goods, Bellarina?" He pleaded, walking his fingers up my arm. "_I'll make it good for yooooooou,_" he crooned, before getting an open hand slap to the back of the head from Jasper.  
"Leave her alone you fuckin' idiot, you'll traumatize the poor girl," he said and I smiled automatically.

"Can we just... ugh, like forget tonight ever happened, guys?" I asked quietly, equally ashamed that I'd turned nothing into such a big deal, as much as I had been about potentially hitting on the two of them inadvertently. Jasper nodded with a smile and Edward laughed.

"Way ahead of you, Bellarina. I got auntie Al to have a chat to the Chief, to let him know it's all platonic and whatnot, she knows how it is".  
Relieved, I got to my feet and brushed crushed leaf particles off my ass before turning back towards camp.  
"Let's head back, guys," I murmured, and Edward and Jasper joined me in the walk back to the fire pit. I returned to my log, keeping my eyes down and away from Dad as I watched the fire crackle. The boys sat down on either side of me and Edward elbowed me in his show of support, while Jasper stared straight ahead. I finally raised my eyes to see dad sitting next to Aly on the log opposite us, a tiny crease between his eyebrows but otherwise seeming happy. Aly was smiling easily, winking at me when she caught my stare. A plate of cooked fish was beside them. We ate together quietly, a little more subdued than normal but otherwise happily. Once we were all finished, Alyson coughed lightly and nudged my dad. His moustache twitched and he grumbled a little before getting our attention by clearing his throat. Edward and I had been trying to fold leaves into the tiniest squares we could and Jasper had been judging our leaf folding.

"Aly and I have been talking, kids, and we reckon it'd probably be alright if you guys did a couple nights out on your own this week," he mumbled, just barely pronouncing his words well enough to be understood. I didn't quite get what he was trying to say, until Alyson added her own comment.  
"Take your tents and do a hike further up the mountain, maybe? Maybe go see Goblin Lake? God only knows Charlie and I won't be able to make it out, and it's too big of a hike to be done in a day," she reasoned, and I finally understood what they were saying. It was a suggestion for us to actually leave the campsite for a few nights, to leave the supervision of my dad and of the boys' carer. But I could see dad's part of it for what it was. It was him trusting me. Him realizing that he might have been a bit out of line, and it was his apology to me. I'd always wanted to head further up into the Cascades, but had never been able to do so. Dad was always too reluctant to go more than a few hours hike out of the camp site, not wanting to spend the night somewhere we didn't know was safe, and fearful of getting lost.

"You'll be taking Jasper with you of course, so you don't get lost or into any trouble," dad continued, and I almost laughed aloud. Jasper was Edward and I's chaperone, which was outright hilarious when I considered him smoking up with us on the car ride here, or his heated words before by the creek. Regardless, I held in my laughter and started nodding vigorously.

"That would be _so _amazing, dad," I gushed, stopping only to consider Jasper and Edward, "That is if you guys actually want to go?"  
Edward shrugged a single shoulder and Jasper grinned widely.

"I'm more than up for it," he said, "It wouldn't be a real trip if I didn't get to do a proper hike. You up for the challenge, Eddie?"  
Once Jasper had presented it as a challenge, Edward's eyes were alight and he was sitting up straight in his seat.  
"Of course I'm up for it, Jazzy boy, another chance to show you and Bellarina up? Any day," He crowed, spurring Aly into a fit of laughter and dad into a confused frown. Maybe dad _did _think Edward was into me.

We hashed out the details of the impending hiking trip, planning to head out the day after tomorrow and to spend 5 nights out in the mountains, the 3rd night camping at Goblin Lake itself and the rest spent in transit, setting up camp wherever we could find a flat and safe surface. Exhausted from the long day and all talked out after another hour, we said our goodbyes and headed off to our respective tents.

* * *

I snagged my toiletries bag from mine, along with a towel and a pair of flip flops and headed out of the camp towards the bathing pool. Our 'bath' was a clear and shallow rock pool midway up a rocky plateau, carved into the rock face in a perfect oval. It was a lucky find, and being only a 10 minute walk out of camp, perfect for our purposes. Tossing my bag and towel onto a dry section of rock, I took off my sweater and pants - leaving my bikini on, it could use a wash - and slipped into the cool water, content to submerge my entire body and listen to the sounds my toes made when they tapped the rocky floor, muffled and peaceful.  
Completely underwater and deaf to anything out of my tiny little pool, I almost died from a heart attack when a second body splashed into the water beside me. Coming up spluttering, I opened my eyes to a smug Edward reclining in the disturbed pool.

"Lucky I saw you there Bella, I was _ten _seconds away from gettin' naked - woulda had to beat you off of me with a bar of soap," he joked. I huffed in annoyance and flicked water at him.

"I was here first fuckwad, you can come back after," I demanded, and he only laughed in response. Tickling the bottom of my feet with his toes, he flipped over onto his stomach and floated in the shallow water.

"We can share, Bellarina. Unfortunately for me you decided to keep the swim suit".  
He sat up and pulled some body wash from a plastic bag next to my own toiletries and squeezed a large amount into his hand. Lathering it up between his fingers, he started scrubbing at the stubborn mud stains that littered his chest and arms and continued on washing like I wasn't there at all. Not bothered, I scooped my own soap from my bag and started doing the same - trying to get all traces of mud from my body. Once I was mostly clean, I quickly washed my hair and slicked through some conditioner. Tying it on top of my head with the elastic from my wrist, I sat cross legged in the center of the pool, watching Edward smoothing his hair into a shampoo mohawk in the now soapy water. Feeling my eyes on him, he turned and appraised me with a cocked eyebrow.

"Feeling better, Bella?" He asked seriously, and because it was so hard to take this boy seriously at any given time, not to mention when he had a soapy mohawk, I dissolved into giggles. Scowling, he washed off his hair and sidled on over next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me to his side. Laughter subsiding, I slid an arm around his waist and we sat together in the bubbly water, watching the moonlight glimmer on the smooth stone and letting the sounds of the forest at night swell around us until there was nothing but us and the beautiful wild wood.


	4. Rivulet

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all its recognizable characters - I own the plot alone.**

When the dawn broke over the Cascades I was high up in the branches of my favorite climbing tree, swinging my dirty feet and humming to the songs of the birds that were waking with the sun. My hair hung clean and tangled around me, and the impending hike was on my mind.

I was excited. Tomorrow morning, the boys and I were heading North to Goblin Lake, following the river until it branched out into the monstrous body of water where we would make camp for one night. It was just over a two day hike to the lake, and we were bringing our tents and whatever else we would need. Jasper and I could fish for our meals and Edward was happy enough being a pack horse and just tagging along.  
It meant _a lot _to me that dad would even suggest this, and it showed how Alyson had changed him since they had been together - he was fiercely and sometimes unnecessarily protective to a fault and would never have let me go on a five day hike into the upper Washington Cascades with only two teenage boys as my only protection. I guess it also showed his respect for Jasper as both a hiker and a huntsman, delivering him into my care and trusting him to bring me back in one piece. As embarrassing as it was for dad to call me out on my otherwise innocent behavior last night, it was probably a good reminder to keep myself in check and not get carried away. As platonic as my actions had been so far, Edward and Jasper weren't Phoenix boys to cling onto in an attempt to make myself _mean _something - they were my friends. Edward was the brightest shining, and downright prettiest 17 year old I had ever met, and would probably never have noticed me until he was stuck with me in the forest. Jasper was an adult - and had no time for snotty 16 year olds beyond reassuring them that he wasn't trying to bang them. He was calm and collected and shared my love of the mountains to the point where I just wanted to be near him, to listen to him inhale the air around him and _feel _the way he reveled in the forest. We made sense, our trio. Even though it hurt a little bit to know the probably two best friends I would ever make in my teenage years were basically in captivity - and after a month I would never see them again. Ouch.

Shaking myself from my somber thoughts, I faintly heard the unzipping of a tent. Swinging around to straddle the tree branch, I started dropping through the tree - using the rough bark as a handhold to dip from branch to branch - bracing my feet against the trunk and darting around to reach the bottom as quickly as possible. Stepping into my discarded shoes and running my fingers along the trunk in an absent minded goodbye, I jogged easily back to camp to see who was awake. Jasper was extracting himself from his tent, curly hair wild around his head and in another wrinkled shorts and tee combo. I watched quietly from the treeline as he stretched his body out, cracking and popping his cramped joints - revealing a sliver of tanned skin below his white shirt. Quickly walking into his line of sight , I offered a simple wave in greeting. Jasper smiled brightly at me, early morning light shooting through his hair and granting him a golden halo.

"Morning, Bella," He rasped, rubbing at his stubbled chin with his hand. He stalked over to the fire pit and set to his daily task of bringing the flames to life - delicately blowing into the ashes and placing kindling to work up a steady blaze. I busied myself with sorting the morning coffee and organizing the last of the bacon and eggs - from now on we would be eating what we could catch or not eating at all.

Dad was an avid hunter, always had been. For the first few years when I was younger, we had lived off mostly fish and store-bought supplies for our summers in the mountains. Eventually, he had introduced me to hunting. Being an officer of the law, he always strictly stuck to hunting seasons. Cottontail rabbit was legal to hunt in the Cascades from May to September, so our summer holiday always guaranteed we were never short on edible game. Food-wise, we'd never had anything other than rabbit and a pheasant when dad managed to shoot one down. At the age of 14 I had gotten it into my head that I wanted to be a hunter liked dad. I'd sat with him for hours waiting for the sign of game, finally getting lucky when he bagged a rabbit coming out of the undergrowth. Like his Granddad had taught him, dad showed me how to bag the rabbit and we took it back to camp to skin and quarter. He'd handed me the skinning knife and given me some basic pointers on how to skin a rabbit. I'd taken one slice down the small animal's belly before promptly throwing up on dad's shoes. Needless to say, I never really got into hunting after that. Whenever we got it into our minds that we were sick of fish and needed something a bit substantial, I would disappear for a few hours. Leaving dad to hunt and skin the animals while I explored, only returning in the early evening when all that was left were some leathery skins that had dried in the sun, and a bowl full of meat to be cooked over the fire.

"Do you hunt, Jasper?" I asked out of curiosity, pulling some metal plates and cups from a canvas bag. Jasper lit up his morning cigarette and took a deep drag before answering my question.

"A little bit, yeah. Enough to know what I'm doing. How about you?"  
I made a face as I returned to the fire to crack some eggs onto our homemade skillet.  
"Ugh, no. Never got the hang of all the... guts," I made a gagging sound and returned to tending to our breakfast, noting the unzipping of dad's tent behind me. Jasper laughed and got up to help me serve up the food.  
"Ah Bella, you never gave it a chance!"  
Dad came up behind me and peered over my shoulder. With an appreciative nod and a pat to the head, he trudged off into the trees to the right of his tent. Alyson came out not soon after and followed behind him. Just as everything was about served up, Jasper went over to land a kick on the flimsy fabric side of Edward's tent where the outline of his body could be seen. With a predictable bout of curses and groans, Edward finally emerged into the morning - bleary eyed and pissed off. He muttered his way over to the pit where he took up residence on a log, flicking me in the back of my calf until I handed him a plate of food and some coffee. Dad and Aly joined us for breakfast, and the inevitable warning speech was made pretty quickly.

"Now Bella," dad started sternly, "I'm letting you go to the lake because I trust you, and because I know you've always wanted to go but we were never able to. I'm letting you go because I _trust _these two boys..." He trailed off and leveled a hard stare at both Edward and Jasper, "Not to let me or Alyson down on this one. Jasper is experienced and I trust him to take care of you both. Edward..." He sighed, "Edward is a strong swimmer and I'm certain he can be sensible if he tries. I'm counting on you all to be responsible, and I'm trusting Aly on the fact that there's no funny business going on between the two of you, right Bella?"

I made a face and Edward gasped in mock hurt.  
"Do I disgust you that much, Bellarina?" I kicked out at him and managed to dislodge his last bacon piece from his hand. He shook his head and glared at me.  
"Yeah you kinda do, you freak," I retorted, picking up his lost meat and tossing it into the fire. Dad harrumphed in reluctant acquiescence, and Alyson rubbed his arm softly. I was 100% certain that she was the catalyst behind this sudden camping trip, there was _no _way dad would have come up with or even agreed to this idea on his own. As gross as it was considering he was probably factoring a few days alone with his girlfriend into the equation, I wasn't about to complain. I mouthed a _thank you _at Alyson and she smiled back at me brightly - this was _definitely _her idea.

We finished up our food and Aly washed up our plates in the stream despite our complaints - the men did the fishing and she was more than happy to put in the effort to clean up after us. By her logic, I had cooked so I was exempt from kitchen cleanup duties. Edward snorted at this and Jasper flicked a pine nut at his head. Today would consist entirely of getting ourselves ready for our side trip. Starting a stockpile in the centre of the clearing, I sat on an overturned fishing bucket and called out items that I thought we might need. Edward ran around collecting them as I named them, like a _really _excitable retriever. We had just enough cooking gear to get us by - plates and cups and a single metal pot. With that I got Edward to find some fire starters and a couple of books of matches. Two torches went into the pile, along with three canteens and a pack of beef jerky. Survival wise, that was all that really came to mind. Jasper was handling the hunting and fishing - he was bringing a rod, fish hooks and spare line in addition to his hunting knife for de-scaling. Dad disappeared into his tent and emerged victorious with an emergency survival kit, counting off the items as he sat next to the fire.

"First-aid kit, flare gun, fire starters and a radio. You know how to use the flare gun Bella. If anything goes wrong, you just shoot it straight on up and I'm gonna see it. If not me, then maybe a ranger might be close enough to get a good look. If you get lost, keep the radio on at _all _times, you're bound to catch a low flying plane within range. If you're not back by nightfall on the 6th day, I'm calling in a search party, okay? These mountains are far too dangerous for you to spend any amount of time in them alone. You go _straight _up the river to the lake, and you come straight back down, you hear?"

He carried on with his warnings and reassurances into late afternoon as we packed everything up ready to go. Jasper had brought some loose canvas with him and split our pile up into three smaller piles. I didn't fail to notice that one was obviously smaller than the other two and consisted of mostly matches and the survival kit, but I wasn't about to complain. He tied our respective gear into three canvas packs, leaving enough room on top to strap on our tents tomorrow morning before we left. Dad watched on in admiration, already looking vaguely more reassured about the trip.

Once everything was packed up, Edward and I retreated to the creek to wash off the sweat of the day. He swam powerfully from bank to bank to work off all of his excess energy, and I twisted and slid beneath the surface - brushing my hands through the mud to touch the smooth stones that made up the creek bed. I was floating aimlessly underwater when Edward's face popped up in front of me, hair sticking straight up in the water and bubbles escaping from between his bared teeth. I let out a large breath and allowed myself to float back to the surface - wiping the water from my eyes and slicking back my hair. Jasper was sitting against a tree beside the stream, toes dipped in the shallows and fiddling with a hook and a length of fishing line. Edward rose up from the depths and hung himself off my shoulders, nearly dragging me back underwater with his dead weight.

"Get off me you idiot, you're too heavy," I complained, trying to grab his water slippery wrists to make him let go. He let go of my shoulders and went to float on his back.

"Your mom's a bit too heavy but I don't point it out to you, ya bitch," he snarked and Jasper sighed heavily from his spot on the bank.  
"Shut up, Eddie".  
Edward cupped his hands and smacked the surface, blasting a jet of water straight at Jasper, who ducked his head to stop most of the spray from hitting him in the face. Raising an eyebrow and stabbing his hook into the bark of the tree, Jasper rose to his feet with a dangerous look in his eyes. I swam safely upstream, content to watch Jasper show Edward up again. Predictably, he launched himself after Edward with incredible force, getting an arm around his neck before he could even move and dunking him repeatedly under the water - allowing him a half breath before forcing him under again. Edward was gasping in breaths in between laughter and attempted pinches to Edward's sides. I left them to their tussle and floated downstream past them to where a low hanging branch dipped into the creek. Grabbing it easily, I hauled myself up onto the first branch and started to monkey-bar my way to the top. The bark scratched my exposed skin and sap collected itself on my hands - but I got to a point where I could comfortably see the boys still fighting in the creek, and dad and Alyson talking quietly at the fire pit. Swinging around and gripping the thick branch with my legs, I dropped upside down and let my tangled hair wave beneath me. Ignoring the blood rushing to my head, I closed my eyes and let the sensation of hanging free without anything but my own body holding me in place wash over me. The breeze tickled my skin and hair, and the leaves rustled around me. Jasper and Edward were still fighting below me, and once I was done with hanging upside down, I dropped to the branch below me. Calculating carefully, and wiggling out as far over the creek as was possible, I bunched my legs up underneath me and gripped the upper branch lightly. Silently, I threw myself from the top of the tree and into the creek. I had a good 3 seconds of free fall that twisted my stomach and had me screaming. I hit the water hard, plunging into the warm depths and scaring the absolute shit out of Edward and Jasper. Jasper gripped my wrist tight and pulled me back to the surface.

"You alright, Bella?" He checked quickly, elbowing Edward away. I was breathing heavily, blood rushing under my skin and sporting a smile so wide it threatened to crack my cheeks. Jasper grinned back and released my hand, finally letting Edward through to take a look at me. Edward, who dragged me to shallower water and flipped me over onto his shoulders before spinning me wildly and crowing loudly.

"Bella_rina_! That was fuckin' awesome! Where'd you jump from, can you show me? I wanna go!" He yelled, spinning me dizzy before throwing me back into the water. I took a few seconds to get my bearings before directing him to the branch that hung over the creek. He looked at me, incredulous.  
"You climbed that thing?" He asked skeptically, swimming over to the branch and pulling himself up onto it easily.

"Obviously, you idiot. Just start climbing. You know how to climb a tree, right?" I checked.  
Edward snorted loudly.  
"Of course I know how to climb a tree, do you take me for a fuckin' invalid?"  
Jasper muttered the affirmative and earned an eye roll from Edward, who then proceeded to start his ascent. He made it about halfway to the point where I had jumped from when he couldn't make it to the next highest branch. When he asked Jasper and I if it was high enough, I assured him that it definitely was - I wasn't in the mood to challenge Edward this afternoon. He shimmied himself out over the creek and dropped like a rock toward the water, but broke it cleanly with a well executed pin drop, saving Jasper and I from getting soaked. After the expected applause and praise, he pulled himself up the tree again to give it another go.

* * *

That was how we spent the rest of our afternoon. Taking turns scaling the tree to launch ourselves into the creek. Edward was humbled by my climbing ability and Jasper made it up above Edward's branch on sheer strength and determination alone, but still not making it up as high as I could. Dad and Alyson made their way down to sit on the bank and watch us throw ourselves into the water - judging on splash size and height drop, Aly's muted gasps the best kind of approval we could get from a jump. It was an exhausting pastime, and we quickly retreated back to camp to cook up some fish that dad had gone out to get during the day - Jasper apologizing profusely for not coming with him, which dad would hear none of.

We sat around the fire for another hour, listening to dad rant and rave on forest safety and what to do in the case of an emergency. Whenever he would get too worked up or stressed out, Aly would calm him with a pat of her hand on this arm or knee, and he'd lower his voice and calmly explain his next point. I headed off to my tent early, eager to get to sleep and wake tomorrow morning - ready for our hike up to the lake. I noticed Alyson going off to bed too, and didn't bother speculating on what dad was saying to the boys in a low, stern tone. This was too much freedom - much more than he should be allowing me, and if Edward and Jasper had to cop a death threat, it was still worth it. I crawled onto my mattress and went to sleep quickly, dreaming of pristine lakes and waterfalls.


	5. Forest's Edge

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all its recognizable characters - I own the plot alone.**

"I'm trusting you on this, Bella. Don't let me down".

Dad was freaking out. We were about to leave for our first day on our hike, and I was stuck by the stream with a supremely stressed and angry father. He'd gone over the rules and emergency procedures more times than I could count, and had even tried to give me the most awkward sex talk of my life - not a normal concerned parent to child sex talk, no - a _"if one of those boys even looks at you funny you punch him in the throat and you tell me baby, because there's no better place to hide a body than in these woods, okay?"_ kind of talk. I'd reassured him a million times that absolutely _nothing _was going on between Edward and I - and that even if I actually felt that way about him, there was no way I would ever act on it because my _dad _was dating his aunt. Once I'd stressed the weirdness factor, dad had seemed to relax infinitesimally.

"I won't dad," I assured for the thousandth time, pulling my canvas pack higher up on my shoulders, "We really need to get going though, so..." I was pulled very suddenly into a hard, warm hug. Wrapping my arms around my dad I squeezed him as tight as I could with a whispered "_love you, dad_". He returned the sentiment in a mumble, and released me.

Edward and Jasper were exchanging goodbyes with Alyson by the fire, and dropped their eyes respectfully when dad and I came over to them. He cleared his throat and offered his support in the only way he knew how. "Now boys, I've decided to trust the both of you. Don't make me regret it. Jasper, I've got a little something for you," he admitted, ambling over to his gear stock. Alyson and I recoiled when he pulled out his hunting rifle and a small leather pouch. Before I could even start to protest, Aly was storming over to him with her hands balled into fists.

"Charlie! You are _not _letting them take a gun! What if one of them got hurt? What if one of them got _shot?_" she thundered, standing a good head shorter than him but monstrous in her rage and worry. Dad made a face and squared his shoulders. "There's all sorts of animals higher up in the mountains, Aly. There are bears, bucks and cougars - and I'm not letting them go without any more protection than a flimsy _hunting knife_," He countered. Jasper patted the knife strapped to his waistband and shrugged. Alyson was no less furious.

"Which one of them's gonna know how to use it, _huh_?!" she screamed, "I suppose you taught Bella how to shoot a gun? A _sixteen _year old?" Regardless of the fact that I did indeed know how to shoot, I knew it wouldn't be me who was taking the rifle. Jasper spoke up in a loud voice.

"I think he means me, mom," He began, wincing as Aly turned her glare to him. He spoke quickly to get his point out before she could cut him down. "I know how to shoot. I've taken courses on gun safety. I've worked at a goddamn _hunting _store for the last 3 years - I know what I'm doing. You can trust me with the gun, and you can trust me to make sure nobody gets hurt. It's a good idea for safety, and I think you know it". Aly was still fuming and dad was rubbing her back soothingly. She huffed out a curse and stalked out of the clearing. Dad made a face and turned to us.

"She'll be okay - she knows it's for the best. Jasper, if you screw this up I will _not _hesitate to make sure you regret it for the rest of your life. Edward - remember what we talked about boy, and I think we'll be okay. Bella..." he sighed, and pulled me into another tight hug. "I trust you. Have fun. Head off now, while it's not too hot. Got your compass?" I nodded into his chest and extracted myself from his arms. He imparted a few more demands on safety and emergencies before heading off to find his furious girlfriend. Left alone, Jasper went to double-check all of his equipment and add the rifle to his pack, and Edward and I turned to each other with matching grins. Once everything was accounted for, we started for the river. Sticking to the bank of the stream, it was late morning by the time we merged from the treeline and onto the edge of the river. The current was stronger today - branches and other debris tossed carelessly around the eddies and swirls of the creek.

"Shit son, never thought the Chief was gonna let us get away with his precious Bellarina," Edward cheered, grabbing my hands in his and spinning me around on the muddy bank - my hair flying behind me and head spinning from the tight circles we were making. Jasper affected a stern facial expression and reprimanded him. "Now Edward, this trip is not about _fun_," pulling me from Edward and holding my wrists in one of his large hands to pull me behind him as he started trudging up the river, "This is getting from point A to point B and straight back. No _fun_," he sneered in a disgusted tone, "And certainly no _funny business_". Giggling uncontrollably, it was hard to keep up with Jasper while I laughed and stumbled along. Edward was jogging alongside us, now having adopted a serious face as well - which looked completely stupid and gave Edward the air of someone who had just been given a swift punch to the junk. Jasper finally released me and dropped the act, smiling freely in the morning sun.

"This is gonna be fun guys," he no further comments he continued on up the river, occasionally chiming in on whatever Edward and I were talking about as we made our way north towards Goblin Lake.

"Bellarina, _when _will you let me in?" Edward sighed, his response to me hissing an irritated "_fuck off_" when he flicked me in the ear for the trillionth time. I rolled my eyes and tried to land a punch to his ribs, which he dodged easily and and strode in front of me - bouncing on the balls of his feet with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Oh, you wanna _go _Bella?" He called, huffing loudly and pushing on my shoulders, "You wanna fuckin' _go_?" Jasper was laughing as Edward darted around me, feinting and throwing wild jabs around my head. I dropped my pack to the ground and joined him in his wild gesturing. "Yeah Eddie," I sang, landing a slap to the side of his head, "You think you can take me on? You've got _nothin_' on me!" Jasper was circling us, calling out point hits when someone landed a soft blow. Edward still had his pack on and was moving a lot slower than me, so it wasn't a surprise when I eventually managed to land a shoulder in his gut, toppling him over onto his back in the soft dirt. Jasper cheered, grabbing my hand and raising it high above my head.

"Bella is the winner, ladies and gentlemen!" Edward huffed good-naturedly from the ground, wiggling around and trying to get up without having to take his pack off of his back. "Edward you incapable fuck, take the damn pack off," I demanded, and he only wiggled harder.

"No Bella," he grunted, "I must prove my strength to you". Jasper prodded him with the toe of his boot and scoffed. "All you're proving is how fuckin' inept you are, pretty Eddie," he joked and Edward ignored him as he continued struggling. At last with a triumphant yell he managed to roll over onto his stomach and push himself up onto to his knees - the front of his shirt packed with dirt and grass. Jasper helped him brush most of it off while I pulled my pack back over my shoulders. We continued our walk for another two hours, moving over into the shade of the trees when the sun beating down on us got too unbearably hot, keeping the river in sight so we didn't get lost. Edward had miraculously left me alone and was trailing behind with a large branch in his hand - whipping at trees and rocks and sometimes the back of Jasper's head.

"I'm glad your dad suggested this, Bella," Jasper said quietly as we stomped through the long grass and dead leaves. I had been running my hands along the rough bark of the trees that we passed, and continued to do so as I looked at Jasper. "Why's that, Jay?" I asked him, flitting my fingers through the leaves of a low hanging branch. He smiled and elbowed me gently. "It's nice to just hang out with someone who has the same kind of ideals as me, you know? I mean, I like the woods well enough on my own, but if you've got someone there who's just as into them as you are, it makes it even better, right?" He explained, and I nodded slowly while I took what he was saying in.

It was true. I'd loved coming here since I was a kid, but it had gotten so much better in the last two days and I hadn't really been able to fully put my finger on it until now. With Jasper and Edward here, I kind of got to share how I felt with more people than just my dad. Dad liked the Cascades too, but he was more focused on individual activities and not the mountains as a whole. He came for the camping, the fishing and the hunting. What I loved most about the trip was just the way it made me feel to be absolutely isolated and surrounded by what I loved the most in the world - the wild. I could be free, and Jasper and Edward were just another outlet for me. With them, I was able to completely lose myself in the feel of the mountains in more ways than I had been able to while I was here with my dad. I had Edward for the truly out of control, wild things I needed to do - wrestling, fighting and letting go completely. Jasper joined in but he was always a little bit more reserved, _so _much more mature than Edward. With him, I could rant and rave about the way the leaves fell just _so, _and how I could taste the forest on my tongue and he would _get _it. These were the two best people I ever could have come here with.

"It does," I agreed softly, "I think you feel close to what I do about this place, and it's... Nice. It's great to have someone who understands how I feel, and what I need. That's what you do, I guess". Jasper was smiling, and he ducked his head down to watch his feet move through the underbrush. "You and Edward are getting along pretty swell, huh?" He asked, still watching his feet. "I guess... It's nice to be able to let go and have fun, and Edward's the absolute antithesis of serious or withdrawn, so he's the best person to do that with, you know?" I answered honestly, wondering where Jasper was going with this. He sighed heavily, and blurted out a fast string of words.

"You two make sense together, yeah? I'm really happy that you two get along so well, 'cause you just look so happy when you're hanging out and swimming or whatever". I laughed gently and hooked my elbow in Jasper's. "Edward's never even noticed me, Jay. We're just hanging out," I explained and Jasper finally raised his head to cock an eyebrow at me, "It's _platonic_ - how many people do I have to explain this too?" I finished, utterly exasperated. Jasper shrugged and mumbled something about it "_making sense, though_" and I growled.

"Edward!" I yelled, and he came trotting up beside us, "Are we or are we not either A - Madly in love or B - Fucking each other's brains out?" Jasper choked beside me and Edward howled out a laugh. "Bellarina baby if we were fuckin' I'd have told Jazz _ages _ago. Don't worry about it man you don't have to chaperone us, Bella and I are like at zero level of attraction in _that _kind of _serious _way. No offence Bella," He said and I merely shrugged in response, "But not only are you Auntie Al's boyfriend's kid but your dad would shoot my balls off. Not that you're not hot, cause _damn _Bell you can work what you've got, but _us?_ That doesn't make any sense at all beyond a hot and sweaty fuck - which I'd totally be up for if you were ever interested. Just so you know".

With that, Edward slid back behind us to continue whatever he was doing before I had called him up, and I simply looked at Jasper expectantly. He groaned and pulled my arm tighter into the crook of his elbow. "Sorry Bella," he apologized sincerely and I nodded happily. "You don't have to worry about keeping Edward and I from banging on behalf of not wanting to get shot by my dad, Jay," I giggled and he smiled weakly. "You know me," He murmured, "Ever the terrified forced chaperone".

We walked for another hour before Edward called out from behind us in an insolent tone.

"Guys can we _stop_? I'm fuckin' bored out of my brain and want to swim or do _something_," He complained, swiping his branch along the backs of Jasper and I's legs, "And I'm _hungry, _do you think we could catch some fish or whatever?" Jasper dropped his pack and stretched his back out. I stacked my own on top of his and slipped off my shoes. We were just on the edge of the forest, and had been following the river for about 4 hours now and it was just past midday judging by the height of the sun in the sky. If we wanted to make good progress we had another 4 hours of walking ahead of us before we could make camp - it wouldn't be much trouble to stop to try and catch some fish or do some swimming. Jasper seemed to agree and was taking his rod from its ties, probably to try and catch something for us to eat.

I pulled off my shorts and shirt which left my bikini underneath and broke through the tree line to find that the river was a lot calmer this much further up. Quickly sliding down the bank and into the water, I relished the cool water on my skin and flipped over to float on my back. Edward threw himself in after me with a scream, and we halfheartedly wrestled before just returning to float and relax. Jasper was downstream, baiting a hook with scraps of jerky. Edward swam over to me and pulled my hair.

"How much do you wanna bet that I can catch a fish with my hands?" He asked seriously, and I snort-laughed so hard I had to tread water to regain my center and not sink to the bottom. He was looking at me impatiently, waiting for an answer. "Uh... Nothing? You can't catch a fish with your hands you idiot, the fish will _swim away_," I was trying to explain it to him slowly and he was just shaking his head. "No, I _can_," he declared and I pushed off of his stomach with my legs, propelling myself backwards a bit. "Do it, then".

With that challenge, Edward set to trying to catch himself a fish.

Edward was crouching on a partially submerged rock near where Jasper was fishing peacefully, precariously leaning over to see into the river. Jasper was good-naturedly giving him scraps of jerky to try to attract the fish with, his attempts at which had been entirely unsuccessful so far. Happy to watch and swim, it was a good half hour before Edward spoke, a quiet "yes" that was just barely audible over the rushing water. Readying himself, he braced his legs on the flat rock and wiggled his fingers. Exchanging an amused glance with Jasper, we watched as Edward launched himself into the water with a yell, arms outstretched and eyes alight with determination. He didn't slide into the water with his usual precision, he instead crashed into the river, emitting a screech and resulting in a giant splash. He disappeared under the roiling water and I watched with bated breath for him to emerge triumphant. Instead, he popped back up to the surface with a defeated look on his face. At this point, Jasper had caught three small fish and I was more than ready to eat.

"Ready for lunch, Edward?" I asked loudly, swimming toward the bank, "Jay has caught enough fish". Jasper reeled in his line and grabbed his bucket of catches. Edward shook his head fiercely and returned to his rock, apparently determined to fail. Jasper shrugged at me and after pulling my clothes back on over my wet swimsuit, I joined him in heading back into the forest to collect up some wood and kindling to start a fire with. We chatted quietly was we gathered, and I learnt that Jasper was a good deal more talkative when he was alone, he was stacking twigs against each other to form a teepee like structure and telling me all about his life back in Flower Mound when Edward burst through the trees with wild eyes and a positively tiny fish clutched in his hand. The fish was long dead, likely not only from asphyxiation but also from the pure stress of being snatched by a crazy 17 year old. Edward was absolutely rabid.

"What'd I fuckin' tell you, Bellarina?" He bellowed, startling a few birds from their perches in the branches above us, "Fish. Caught. Done".

Jasper had been steadily ignoring Edward's gloating and had built up a small fire. He dropped to the ground and unsheathed his hunting knife to start on de-scaling the fish he had caught. Edward was still standing in front of me, panting heavily with the fish still being held tightly in his hand, just on the precipice of being squished.

"Does that even count as a fish?" I asked skeptically, "It's tiny". I pried Edward's fingers from the slightly squished lump and took it into my hands - it was about the size of my palm, and I had small hands.

"Should we cook it for lunch?" Edward asked seriously, and Jasper coughed out a laugh from behind him where he had started to roast his catches over the fire. Edward spun to glare at him, clenching his fists.

"Not good enough? How about we see you catch a fish with your bare hands, fucker," He challenged, eyeing Jasper balefully. Expecting Jasper to brush off Edward's idiotic challenge, it came as a shock when Jasper's eyes lit up and he stood up quickly.

"Bella, can you finish up here?" He asked, and I nodded slowly, "I've gotta go kick Edward's ass."

With that, the boys stalked off through the trees in the direction of the river, leaving me at the fire with the slowly roasting food. I finished up cooking our fish and settled in to eat mine, wrapping the boys' in a torn off, spare piece of canvas we had brought along for the very purpose of food storage. I then moved on to cleaning up the miniature camp Jasper had set up, extinguishing the fire with some dirt and well-placed stomps. Once I had packed up Jasper's knife and cooking utensils and put them into his pack, I followed the path the guys had taken to the water.

Both were standing completely still in the shallows of the river, hunched over and hands twitching near their thighs as their eyes darted around them. By the look of it, neither of them had managed to wrangle a fish yet, as they were completely drenched and still utterly determined to beat the other. Stripping back down to my bikini, I resumed my earlier activity of floating in the cool water, observing the absurd and idiotic task the guys had set themselves to.

Regardless of how stupid it was, it was nice to see Jasper wasn't too serious all the time - he was still happy and carefree, although definitely not to the extent that Edward was. God forbid anyone tried to have a serious conversation with Edward, Jasper was clearly the better choice in that regard - although sometimes he did get a little too intense, to the point where I got uncomfortable because he was just too _serious _about everything. So, it was very nice to see him relaxing and acting his age to a degree, being away from his mom was probably contributing to that. I still felt a little weird around the both of them since the whole flirting-not-flirting fiasco, but it looked like they had forgotten about it completely, although I still tried to keep up a platonic boundary between myself and either boy. Jasper was still crouched in the water but he was watching me float and think with a small smile on his face. I smiled back and he quickly looked away. Edward was focused single mindedly on the task at hand, occasionally twitching when he saw a fish swim close by to him. It had gotten quiet, to the point where the only sounds we're those coming from my arms making circles in the water and the usual sounds of rustling leaves and high-pitched bird calls that came with the mountains and the forest.

We would need to leave pretty soon if we were going to make it to the planned campsite by dark. I gave Jasper and Edward another 15 minutes before calling out to hurry them up. Once they'd accepted that they probably weren't going to catch another fish, and Edward had gloated that he'd actually caught one, we were on our way. It was another 3 hours of walking up the riverbank and trying to ignore Edward - who had found the branch from earlier - and quietly chatting with Jasper about anything that crossed our minds. It was very late afternoon when it was finally time to leave the safety of the river and plunge into the thick branches that had bordered our path so far, and Edward was uncharacteristically wary about doing so.

"I thought we weren't leaving the bank, isn't that what Charlie said?" he huffed, standing on the tree line and bouncing on the balls of his feet, "How the fuck are we gonna get back?"

Jasper sighed heavily and noticeably tried to explain it in a simple yet not too offensive way.

"Edward. We're going in a straight line west from the river, right?" He started, and Edward nodded slightly, "We're going about a mile in, then we're making camp. In the morning, we take a straight path east until we hit the river again. _How _are we possibly gonna get lost?"

Edward took another 5 minutes of coaxing before he would even consider entering the forest. Once he had finally acquiesced we started our trek to where we would be making camp.

"So, Bellarina," Edward hummed from beside me as he hit branches out of the way with his oversized stick. Thankful that he wasn't whipping me with it anymore, I decided to amuse him.

"Yes, Eddie?" I sang, wrestling the branch from his hand and tapping him on the head, "What can I do for you?"

Jasper was walking ahead of us, face turned down and eyes fixed on the compass in his hand, correcting his path now and then to keep us on track. I dodged an open-handed swipe from Edward and gave him back his branch.

"How are you liking our company so far?" He questioned, gesturing to Jasper with his free hand, "We're not all that bad, right?"

Pretending to think about it, I giggled and dodged when Edward tried to come at me with a wild swing of his stick. Taking care not to trip on any protruding tree roots, I kept following Jasper while actually thinking about Edward's question. This was essentially the same thing as Jasper had asked me earlier, but obviously coming from Edward it seemed nowhere near as sincere. I decided to go with an easier, less intense answer than the one I had given his cousin.

"I like you guys, I said simply with a shrug, "Edward - you're fun to be around and are seeming to enjoy yourself well enough, and Jasper likes hiking as much as I do, so I don't have a problem with either of you". Jasper turned his head just slightly so I could see his smile and raised eyebrow. He knew I'd given Edward a very diluted answer compared to the one he'd gotten, and he seemed to actually like it. Go figure.

"Fuckin' nice, Bell," Edward laughed, "_I don't have a problem with either of you _- how's that for a backhander eh, Jazz? _You're not too bad but ya could be better_," He imitated loudly, not stopping when I tried to slap him in the side of the head, "_I guess you'll do_". Jasper was laughing at this point, and I was past pretending to be pissed off at Edward so I joined them in their snickering. Edward picked up my hand and slung it over his proffered forearm with a flourish.

"Your camp awaits, sweet Bellarina". Thinking that we'd had at least another half hour of walking, I was surprised to see Jasper slowing down ahead of us. He called back to us to explain what he was doing as he opened his pack and extracted a very bright red square of cloth.

"So we can find our way back," he said loudly, tearing off a strip of the material and tying it to a thick branch that was lying on the forest floor of leaves and broken twigs. He then pushed the branch heavily into the dirt, muscles rippling and teeth gritted - admittedly a welcome sight - _gross, Bella _- to form a makeshift marker.

With that, we then set to finding a nearby location that was open enough for two tents and a fire. Jasper and Edward had agreed to share a tent to save space, so we only needed a small clearing - which we found rather quickly. Ignoring Edward as he sat in the middle of the space and whined loudly, Jasper and I quickly set up our respective tents and dumped our packs off to the right. Edward crawled into their tent to listen to some music on his iPod - which had a rapidly depleting battery life - while Jasper and I set up the fire. The sun had just gone down when we were finished gathering wood, and we quickly lit a moderate sized blaze to stave off the chill. The boys had never gotten around to eating their leftover fish, choosing instead to snack on jerky along the way, so we split the two between the three of us quickly - nobody feeling like heading back out to catch some more fish now that it was dark. Once we had finished, Edward turned to us with a wicked glint in his eyes and a cocked head.

"Ready to _finally _make this trip worthwhile, fuckers?" He crowed, fishing in his pack to emerge triumphant with the tin that I now knew contained his weed. Jay laughed and lit up a cigarette before tossing the lighter to Edward.

"Hand 'em out, Eddie boy," he murmured and Edward did just that, distributing out bloated, tightly packed joints between us where we sat on a mat of plant matter and sleeping bags. I took mine between my fingers and rolled it back and forth between my hands. This was it. This was where the innocent summer vacation of my youth morphed into something much darker - but so much more intoxicating. I loved the mountains well enough with a clear head, especially with the clarity the sharp air seemed to lend me, but there was something about the earthy taste of smoke in the air from Jasper and Edward's already lit joints that promised something much more _wild _than I could ever hope to control - and I wanted it.

I said goodbye to my natural youth and welcomed untamed maturity with a glowing ember and a deep inhalation, while the forest came to life around me.

**Thank you for reading! Sorry for the wait - if anyone was waiting. Please review and tell me what you liked/didn't like!**


	6. Rampant

**A tiny, baby chapter to last until I can next update this. Please note that this chapter does include activities of a sexual nature - if that is not what you are reading for then please skip the scene between the line breaks.**

******Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all its recognizable characters - I own the plot alone.**

The smoke smouldered its way down my throat and I coughed lightly when it hit me. Edward and Jasper were happily dragging away silently and I took advantage of the lull in conversation to just appreciate the moment. Holding up my hair in a messy pile with my free hand, I stretched out and onto my back on the leafy forest floor - lengthening my legs to rest on Edward's lap. My head hit the ground and I let go of my hair, bringing my hand up to rest on my stomach. The joint hung from my fingertips easily, and I brought it to my lips for a shallow draw, relishing the harsh burn. Forcing my way through my low tolerance for weed, I battled my way through the rest of my joint, flicking the burnt down roach at Edward - kicking him with one of my feet when he tried to leave it on the ground, and smiling beatifically at him when he finally tucked it into the pocket of his shorts. I tried to focus on his face, but his features swam out of focus and blended in with the dim light of the fire.

I was fucking blazed.

Edward and Jasper's quiet conversation was muffled - like I had my head underwater. Water made of hazy smoke and thick earth. I trailed my fingers lazily through the leaves underneath me, cutting a trench down into the dirt below me. I was up to my knuckles in soil when Jasper's face popped up above mine with a sinfully wicked smile. His blond hair trickled down around his face in little golden rivulets, and I raised my dirty hands to let the curls run through my fingers. He laughed, and wrapped an arm under and around my shoulders to pull me into a sitting position. My legs were still splayed across Edward's lap and Jasper situated himself behind me so I would have something to lean on - after I quickly proved that I was in no state to sit up on my own. Feeling like fluid air, I leaned on Jasper and Edward while I watched the stars peek through the heavy canopy above me. Jasper's hands were making their way through my hair and Edward was fiddling with my shoelaces. The air was thick in my mouth and I didn't talk for fear of thinning it out and losing the taste of it. We stayed this way for a good hour before I felt up to speaking. Edward had since long fallen asleep below my legs, and Jasper was still silently making a tangled mess of my thick hair with his long fingers.

"This doesn't like…" Jasper mumbled, and swallowed heavily before continuing, "Take away from the experience does it, Bella?" he asked, and I twisted my neck to look at him out of the corner of my eye. He was still focused on my hair but he had pursed lips and a furrowed brow that didn't abate after I smoothed a filthy hand across his forehead.

"What experience?" I questioned, turning away and scooting my butt towards Edward so I could rest my head on Jasper's knee, leaving my hair to pile up in his lap. My head was still thick and hazy - as was my voice - but Jasper seemed worried, and that made me nervous to the point of fighting through the smoky haze to figure out the cause of his stress.

"Just…" He sighed heavily and twisted his hands deep into my hair before finally letting them stay still, "You were always talking about how much you _loved _these summers with your dad, the simplicity and the innocence and the _feel _of the mountains. Edward and I… The weed, and the side trip up to the lake… It's not taking away from anything is it?" He was serious, rushing through his words - gripping and pulling on my tangles until they almost hurt. _Jasper was worried that he was ruining my summer_.

"No, Jasper - Jesus no," I gasped, "It's enhancing the experience if anything," I assured him. He looked totally and utterly unconvinced.

"It's so much better. I was ready to let go of that part of things regardless of whether I smoked up with you and Edward. It was innocent, and freeing but it lacked the _connection_, you know? That tangible feeling of being so totally in touch with the wild that nothing could ever hurt me, right? To do that, I have to get in deep. Go out into the mountains, smoke weed and taste the earth while I do it. I want to strip away everything that Phoenix stands for and replace it with _this_," I paused to scoop up a handful of dirt and smear it across my throat, "Dirty. Uncontained. Inappropriate. Everything that the kids in my year think I am and everything I really want to be. You get that, right?"

He brushed some of the dirt from my chin and met my eyes with a small smile.

"Yeah, I get it Bella. Kind of. What makes you hate Phoenix so much anyway, huh?" With a huff, I slipped my legs off Edward and sat up slightly, leaning into Jasper and curling into his side. I explained to him how I never really _fit _in my mom's city. How I was kept at a distance and always seen as a little bit off compared to the other students. Due to my inebriated state, I probably over-shared. Jasper tensed uncomfortably against me when I got to the biggest part of my argument.

"The Phoenix boys… They don't want me for who I am. They don't want me for the forest and for the mountain air. They want _me _because I'm new and different to the bleached bones that they'd had previously. They think I'm _mysterious_. I'm not special, I'm not different - I'm just not what they're used to is all," Jasper shifted almost imperceptibly, "Which is why they're still determined to take my virginity, you know? To split me open and show everyone that I'm exactly the same on this inside as the rest of them. But I'm not gonna let that happen. To lose it in Phoenix would be to let the desert sand and blinding sun creep up inside me until I recognised myself. I'll die without ever having had sex if it meant that I got to keep that from happening. How it is now? My perpetual virginity? I'm infinite - like a sealed bottle. Nothing gets in and nothing gets out. Letting Phoenix in would evaporate the water inside of me. Like, my ideal situation would be to lose it to someone who _understood _how I feel about this place, right? If I opened myself up in the wilderness I would flourish like a fucking miniature planet. Moss and algae would litter the water and flowers would bloom on the riverbank. Trees would sprout up. I'd be cultivated into my own little world completely covered in dirt and trees and nobody could stop me from owning myself. I don't want to be owned," I finished with a whisper.

Jasper was completely silent. His leg was stiff beneath my elbow and his forearm was noticeably tense - veins running along through his hands and poking up into contrast in the firelight. Wood crackled steadily in the blaze beside us and I awkwardly considered what I just said. I hadn't been thinking about it at the time that I was saying it, but now that I'd had a chance to think it over I'd basically told Jasper that I wanted him to _take my fucking virginity_. Fucking idiot, Bella. I tried to pull myself up and away from him, but a heavy arm quickly slung across my neck and chest kept me anchored to his side. When he spoke, his voice was throaty and deep.

"Do you really mean that, Bella?" He rasped, and I dared myself to hope for just a second that maybe he would be just a little bit into it. Spurred on by not only my high, but also the intoxicating feeling that I knew would come with being open and honest with a person - not to mention an owl called out into the night in what seemed like a _hoot _of encouragement - I took that hope and ran with it.

"Yes," I answered simply.

Jasper loosened his hold and I felt the tsunami of rejection crash over me. Trying to struggle away, I was shocked into a gasp when he instead grabbed me roughly by my upper arm and flipped me over and halfway into his lap, sliding an arm under my thighs to scoop me fully into the cradle between his crossed legs. He was looking at me seriously, blue eyes dark and liquid and intense.

"Say it, Isabella," he demanded, "I'm only going to ask once. Do. You. Want. This?"

I nodded quickly and was about to give him a verbal confirmation when he threaded his fingers roughly into my hair and pulled my mouth to his.

* * *

Kissing Jasper was… Fucking amazing. His lips were incredibly soft yet impossibly hard and rough as he devoured my mouth, twisting his tongue into mine and biting at my lips when I tried to pull away to breathe I had never been kissed like this. A forest fire was blazing a trail over my skin, starting at my mouth and washing over my body to center between my legs. I was squirming in Jasper's lap fruitlessly, trying to fight against the urge to throw a leg over him and just give in when he hooked a hand under my knee and did that for me. My legs fell open on either side of me and he moved that hand under my ass to press me into him. I whined quietly, which turned into a long moan when he turned his attention to my neck. Biting and licking his way down to my collar bone, he only let up to smirk at me wickedly before plunging his face into the 'v' of my t-shirt.

At this point I was grinding heavily against him - and by the feel of his hard length against me, he was enjoying it no less. Usually all of my orgasms were completely due to my own fingers, but I wasn't too surprised when I felt the slow, fiery onset of what promised to be a _really _good one. Jasper pulled the collar of my shirt down over one of my tits, slipping a hand underneath my bikini top to give me a quick squeeze. He moved the scrap of fabric out of the way and gave my nipple a hard pinch before lowering his head to pay my breast some proper attention.

I was still panting and grinding wildly against him - chasing my elusive orgasm - when long fingers found their way under the waistband of my shorts. Pulling my top half back so that Jasper was forced to release my nipple, I eagerly raised my hips to his hands and was only happy when his fingers slipped beneath my bathing suit and dipped into me. Once he'd gotten his hand fully situated in my bikini bottoms I returned my mouth to his to return the favour via a thorough tongue fucking. His fingers were twisting inside of me and I gasped against his wet mouth.

Having a boy's hand down my pants was something that I was no novice at. But Jasper? He damn well knew what he was doing, and I would rather be eaten by a bear then let him stop what he was doing. When the familiar stirrings of a _really _good orgasm came over me I kissed him harder, rocking my hips against his hand and rode it out for as long as I could - accompanied by quiet moans and pleas for more. Jasper didn't disappoint, keeping up with me every step of the way and giving me a slow and gentle let down from the high. My skin was covered in sweat and my hair was sticking to my neck and face but I was deliciously spent.

"Your turn," I panted and was met with a gleaming smile.

* * *

I had extracted myself from Jasper's lap and was lowering my hand to the button of his shorts when a cough and a groan from Edward reminded us of his presence. Jasper swore and pushed me away from his dick, I quickly buttoned up my own shorts and retreated a platonic distance away from him while scooping my hair up and over one shoulder. Edward rolled over and grunted loudly, keeping his eyes closed. I was fanning myself rapidly to try and dry up the sweat when he finally spoke.

"Ugh, did you guys let me fall asleep?" He grumbled, peeling one eyelid open, "Fuck you dudes. I'm going to bed. Don't forget we have to do hiking shit tomorrow so don't stay up too late".

With that, he crawled away and into his tent, leaving the flap open and unzipped. Jasper ran a hand through his hair and sighed quietly. I watched him with an apologetic glance. With a shrug, he got up and set to banking the fire and preparing for sleep. I took the hint and stumbled away into my own tent, stripping off my clothes from the day and pulling on panties and a tank top before burrowing into my blankets with a burning face and butterflies in my stomach.

I was such a fucking idiot. Jasper was essentially my fucking _brother-in-law_ - basically a given at this point, Charlie and Aly were absolutely crazy for each other - and I'd tried to get him to take my virginity. _Fucking idiot_.

I heard as he retreated into his own tent and I heard Edward's loud snores echo across the clearing. Sleep wasn't coming any time soon, so I easily heard when the zipper was being opened and a dark shape slid into my space. Jasper was dressed only in boxers, and I sat up quickly to share a blanket with him. Thinking that he was here to finish what we had started, I reached for his waistband but was quickly stopped by a warm hand around my wrist and a whispery laugh.

"Don't worry about it Bella," he murmured, and eased himself down beside me on my makeshift bed. His hair still shone faintly in the light that made it through the thin walls of the tent, and his eyes were inky and impossibly deep. Not speaking again, he nestled down beside me and wrapped a heavy arm around my waist, pulling me into his chest and dropping a kiss to the top of my head. Confused, but welcoming his presence, I dropped the issue and buried my face into him and decided to be thankful for small favors. At least he didn't hate me.

That was how I spent my first night in the Cascades away from my father. Still tingling from the remnants of an amazing orgasm and sharing a bed with his girlfriends' son.

_Great fucking job, Bella_.

**Please review if you liked it! Thank you so much for reading, I **_**really **_**appreciate it!**


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